TY - JOUR

T1 - Tailored Recycled Composites

T2 - Enhancing the Performance of Injection Moulded Post-Consumer Polypropylene Composites Using Box-Behnken Design

AU - Shahroodi, Zahra

AU - Zidar, David

AU - Momeni, Vahid

AU - Arbeiter, Florian

AU - Duretek, Ivica

AU - Krempl, Nina

AU - Berger-Weber, Gerald

AU - Holzer, Clemens

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors

PY - 2025/2/15

Y1 - 2025/2/15

N2 - This study investigates the impact of material composition and processing parameters on glass fibre-reinforced recycled polypropylene (rPP) flakes through mechanical and rheological testing. Using a three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken Design (BBD) within Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the effects of glass fibre flake content, additive content, and extruder screw speed on the properties of injection-moulded samples were evaluated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and cross-validation were conducted to assess the influence of these parameters on tensile and rheological properties. The key objective was to maximize tensile modulus (E t) without compromising tensile strength. The results showed a 60 % increase in E t by optimizing extruder screw speed and flake content, achieving the highest E t (4.1 GPa) at a screw speed of 150 rpm, 50 wt% flake content, and 5 wt% additive. The additive contributed up to a 20 % increase in E t but primarily influenced rheological behaviour. Glass fibre flake content was the most significant factor affecting mechanical and rheological properties, with additive content enhancing flow characteristics. These findings highlight the potential to optimize glass fibre-reinforced rPP composites for improved performance, offering a sustainable material solution for applications in diverse industries.

AB - This study investigates the impact of material composition and processing parameters on glass fibre-reinforced recycled polypropylene (rPP) flakes through mechanical and rheological testing. Using a three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken Design (BBD) within Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the effects of glass fibre flake content, additive content, and extruder screw speed on the properties of injection-moulded samples were evaluated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and cross-validation were conducted to assess the influence of these parameters on tensile and rheological properties. The key objective was to maximize tensile modulus (E t) without compromising tensile strength. The results showed a 60 % increase in E t by optimizing extruder screw speed and flake content, achieving the highest E t (4.1 GPa) at a screw speed of 150 rpm, 50 wt% flake content, and 5 wt% additive. The additive contributed up to a 20 % increase in E t but primarily influenced rheological behaviour. Glass fibre flake content was the most significant factor affecting mechanical and rheological properties, with additive content enhancing flow characteristics. These findings highlight the potential to optimize glass fibre-reinforced rPP composites for improved performance, offering a sustainable material solution for applications in diverse industries.

KW - Design of experiment

KW - Fibre length

KW - Mechanical properties

KW - Recycled polymer

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85217967864&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108743

DO - 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108743

M3 - Article

VL - 2025

JO - Polymer Testing

JF - Polymer Testing

SN - 0142-9418

IS - ??? Stand: 17. Februar 2025

M1 - 108743

ER -