Effects of Styrene Butadiene Rubber on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Kenaf Core Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Abstract

In this research, the kenaf core fiber (KCF) reinforced polypropylene (PP) in the presence of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) were melted blending with PP using Brabender internal mixer. The composites then fabricated using compression molding to form a sheet of PP and KCF reinforced PP (KCFPP) composites. Pure polypropylene (PP) matrix was used to serve as control whilst SBR was functionalized as impact modifier to improve the toughness properties of PP. The mechanical properties were determined by tensile test using Universal Testing Machine (UTM) according to ASTM D5803. The results show that the increment in SBR content has given an improvement in impact related properties (elongation at break) but at the expenses of strength and modulus properties.