Polyvinyl Butyral Addition Effects on Notched Charpy Impact Strength of Injection-Molded Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene

Glass short fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (GSFRTPs) are a cost-effective alternative to other short fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (SFRTPs). Their excellent mechanical properties make them a suitable material for components that require rigidity and light weight in widely diverse fields, including transportation and office automation equipment. The melt-mixing process is used to shorten glass fibers. The notched impact strength of molded products is strongly affected by the fiber length. An important issue is how to conduct melt-molding processing while keeping the fibers long. In this regard, a survey of cases in which additives were used to increase the fiber length revealed no useful reports. However, a growing trend toward the reuse of plastic material wastes has emerged. When reusing GSFRTP wastes, the objective is to recycle the material as GSFRTPs. This promotion of the reuse of GSFRTPs necessitates the production of molded products with the fiber length maintained to the greatest extent feasible. Moreover, GSFRTPs should be recycled in a manner consistent with the original GSFRTPs. In recent years, there has also been a growing movement to reuse polyvinyl butyral (PVB) in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has been established that PVB can be extracted from the laminated glass state with high efficiency using mechanical methods. This study evaluated the mechanical properties of GSFRTPs with a PP matrix when PVB was added. The results show that the incorporation of PVB and maleic anhydride-modified PP in quantities of less than 1 wt% into GSFRTPs leads to sizing effects wherein the fibers are dispersed in bundles. Furthermore, this combination enhances the notched impact strength of the resulting molded product by 0.5 kJ/m² at the maximum.