Fiber reinforcement of high impact polystyrene resin

Abstract

Two types of glass fiber, chopped and milled, were used as reinforcement in high impact polystyrene (HIPS) resin. Gamma-glycidoxypropylmethoxysilane was added to enhance adhesion between HIPS and glass fiber. The composites were compounded through a single screw extruder and subjected to injection molding to obtain the specimens for physical properties testing. Tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, izod notched impact, vicat softening temperature and heat distortion temperature properties of those specimens were determined according to ASTM standards. In this research, the glass fiber content was varied from 5%-15% and the silane coupling agent was varied from 0.1-0.4 phr. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to monitor the adhesion between glass fiber and polymer matrix. It was found that the most suitable composite, which showed comparable physical properties to commercial acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene/glass fiber (ABS/GF), composed of 90% weight of HIPS, 10% weight of chopped glass fiber and 0.1 phr of gamma-glycidoxypropylmethoxysilane. This composite was then injected as a blower of the air-conditioner and subjected to the standard balancing test of the manufacturing process. The result obviously indicated that it could replace ABS/GF.