Effect of Fiber Surface Chemistry on the Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber Mat Reinforced Thermoplastic Natural Rubber (TPNR) Composites

The mechanical properties of thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) reinforced by glass fiber mat were examined as a function of the chemical functionality of the silane surface treatment applied to the glass fiber mat. The TPNR was a blend of high density polyethylene, natural rubber and liquid natural rubber at a HDPE/NR/LNR ratio of 50:40:10 which was compounded using an internal mixer. The results indicate that silane coupling agent improved the mechanical properties of the composite. The peel test showed an increment of torque values from 0 to 15% silane concentration. The results also showed that tensile properties and impact absorption energy increased with silane concentration with the optimum concentration were found to be at 15%. However, hardness data exhibited no significant difference with the increment of silane concentration. The investigation of the morphological for the sample through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also showed that the adhesion between the glass fiber mat and the NR/HDPE matrix improved with silane concentration