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Scratch resistance of mineral‐filled polypropylene materials
Author(s) -
Chu J.,
Xiang C.,
Sue H.J.,
Hollis R. Damon
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.11222
Subject(s) - materials science , scratch , polypropylene , composite material , mineral , metallurgy
Pigmented mineral‐filled polypropylene (PP‐PMF) is marketed as a potential alternative to acrylonitrile‐butyldiene‐styrene (ABS) and Polycarbonate/ABS for automotive interior components. PP‐PMF is more easily damaged by surface scratch/mar, thus limiting its acceptance for such applications. This study focuses on investigating the scratch/mar mechanisms of PP‐PMF having different mineral fillers and additives. A new method is introduced to characterize the scratch visibility by image analysis. A correlation is found between scratch visibility and scratch hardness measured by interferometer. It is found that Wollastonite filler imparts higher scratch/mar resistance. Addition of an interface modifier and a lubricant can further improve scratch/mar resistance. It is also found that Talc‐filled PP‐PMF has poor scratch/mar resistance, irrespective of the addition of an interface modifier or a lubricant.