Effect of Calcium Carbonate as Filler on the Physicomechanical Properties of Polypropylene Random

Abstract

To minimize the cost of production and enhancement pipe quality, this research aims to gain insights into the physical and mechanical characteristics of high-performance polypropylene random filled with rigid inorganic calcium carbonate particles at various content levels, with a specific focus on how the toughness of PPR changes. Virgin Polypropylene Random PPR, a new material extracted from a homopolymer polypropylene, is used as a matrix with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt. % of CaCO3. The density, melt flow rate, tensile strength, tensile strain, modulus of elasticity, and hardness are used to evaluate the quality of the material. The results showed that the density, the modulus of elasticity, and the hardness increased with increasing the percentage of CaCO3. As the percentage of CaCO3 increased, the melt flow rate decreased. The tensile strength and strain increased to 28.7 MPa and 533.25%, respectively at 20 wt.% of CaCO3, with 14.8% and 6.65% reaching gains compared to the virgin PPR (25 MPa and 500%). The enhancement of the mechanical properties is thanks to the presence of stiffer and rigid particles of CaCO3 that act as a reinforcing agent. Moreover, when CaCO3 is well dispersed, it forms a strong bond with the polypropylene matrix, and facilitates the transfer of stress from the matrix to the fillers, resulting in increased stiffness. The optimum percentage of CaCO3 to add into the inner layer of extruded PPR pipes is at a composition of the filler of 20 wt. %.