Nano Silicon Carbide Content on Functional Behaviour of Polypropylene Composites Featured With Basalt Fiber for Automotive Material

Polypropylene (PP) is commonly used for lightweight automotive cabinetry and panel applications due to its unique properties, including low density, chemical resistance, improved fatigue resistance, and good thermal insulation. However, the PP matrix typically exhibits lower strength and impact toughness. This research aims to enhance the mechanical properties of PP composites by incorporating 20 weight percent (wt%) of basalt fiber (3-5 mm) along with varying wt% of silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles, using the hot compression molding technique. To improve adhesive strength, an epoxy coupling agent is used, and a compression load of 100 MPa is applied. The effectiveness of the composite processing, the fiber-ceramic combination in surface morphology, and the effects of SiC nanoparticles on stress-strain behavior, impact strength, and microhardness of both pure PP and the PP/20 wt% basalt fiber composites are evaluated. The results are compared with the properties of the unreinforced PP matrix. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis revealed a uniform distribution of fibers and ceramics with minimal spacing between the fibers, contributing to the enhanced mechanical properties of the composite. Notably, the PP composite with 20 wt% basalt fiber and 5 wt% silicon carbide demonstrated a tensile strength of 48 MPa, with a slight decrease in strain percentage to 10.5% due to the increased SiC content. It also exhibited a high impact toughness of 24 kJ/m² and improved microhardness of 39 HV. This PP/20 wt% chopped basalt fiber/5 wt% silicon carbide nanoparticle hybrid nanocomposite shows great potential for automotive cabinetry and panel applications.