Rheological characternization of PP/jute composite melts

The present article summarizes an experimental study on the molten viscoelastic behavior of PP/jute composites under steady and dynamic mode. Variations in melt viscosity and die swell of the composites with an increase in shear rate, fiber loading, and coupling agent concentration have been investigated using capillary rheometer. It was observed that with the addition of fibers and MAPP, the melt viscosity of the composites increased due to improved fiber-matrix interfacial adhesion. Further, the dynamic viscoelastic behavior, measured using parallel plate rheometer, revealed an increase in the storage modulus (G'), indicating higher stiffness in case of fiber-filled composites as compared with the virgin matrix. Time-temperature superposition was applied to generate various viscoelastic master curves. The fiber-matrix morphology of the extrudates was also examined using scanning electron microscopy, which corroborated the findings of rheological properties. The treated composites displayed uniform distribution of fibers within the PP matrix with lesser surface irregularities. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.