FOAM INJECTION MOLDING OF CELLULOSE FIBER REINFORCED POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITES

摘要

This paper investigates the effects of the fiber content and the processing conditions, such as the shot size and the injection speed, on the foaming behavior of injection molded composite foams made from cellulose fiber reinforced polypropylene. Composites are injection molded by using an advanced structural foam molding machine with a physical blowing agent, N_2. Foamed specimens are prepared with different injection speeds and void fractions while the mold pressure profile, void fraction and foam morphology are characterized. The results suggest that there is an optimum fiber content for the cell morphology of injection molded composite foams made of cellulose fiber reinforced polypropylene.