Thermoplastic Vulcanizates/Recycled Polypropylene Blend for Automotive OEM

摘要

An original equipment market (OEM) in Thailand mainly imports thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) from abroad that leads to a high manufacturing cost. To reduce the cost and to create value-added products from a plastic scrap, therefore, this research aim is to observe a possibility of using TPV and recycled polypropylene (rPP) blends as a raw material for OEM. The blends with various rPP loadings were successfully prepared through a traditional twin-screw extruder. Proportions between TPV and rPP were adjusted to determine the optimal flow and mechanical properties for productions of different auto parts. The blends were tested for studying rheology and mechanical properties: tensile; hardness; flexural; and creep behavior. All tests resulted in discussions about the feasibility of using TPV/rPP blends with respect to auto part specifications in real applications. Test results suggested that the TPV/rPP blends meet the requirements of specific automotive applications. Thermal property and morphological analysis were also carried out to have more understanding about changes in mechanical properties.