Investigation of wear properties of elastomer modified wollastonite and hazelnut shell flour reinforced polypropylene Composites

In this study, hybrid composites were produced by using polypropylene (PP) polymer as matrix material, and hazelnut shell (HS) and wollastonite (W) as reinforcement in different ratios. Hazelnut shell flour (HSF) and wollastonite reinforced polypropylene mixtures were modified with poly(styrene-b-ethylene-co-butylene-b-styrene) (SEBS) triblock copolymer and maleic anhydride grafted SEBS (SEBS-g-MA). Wear properties of the hybrid composites were investigated as a function of elastomeric component. First, the reference hybrid composites were prepared from PP and W + HSF mixtures in the ratio of 80/10+10 by weight through extrusion method. SEBS and SEBS-g-MA modified hybrid composites (%, by weight ratios - 3, 6, 9) were then prepared by using these reference mixtures. The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of elastomeric modifications on the wear properties of the hybrid composites. Wear test samples prepared out of those mixtures by injection molding. In order to avoid any degradation due to the temperature sensitivity of the hazelnut shell, temperatures were kept close to lower limits during extrusion processing. Wear features of the samples were investigated by using an abrasion tester. Scanning electron microscopy was used for analyzing morphological features of the worn surfaces. It was found that SEBS and SEBS-g-MA modifications resulted in the reduction of the weight loss.