Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Investigate of the mechanical properties of PP/NBR/SiC nanocomposite in the presence of PP-g-MA compatibilizer for optimizing the modulus of elasticity and impact resistance

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Saber Makhdoumi
Mohammad Reza Nakhaei
Faculty of Mechanics and Energy Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ijme.2025.512467.2066
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the components of the polypropylene (PP)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/silicon carbide (SiC) nanocomposite on the mechanical behavior (modulus of elasticity and impact resistance) in the presence of polypropylene-grafted- maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) as a compatibilizer. To achieve this, the Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was initially utilized for experiment design and sample selection; The melt blending process was used for sample preparation. Next, a statistical model was developed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) table based on experimental data, showing a good level of accuracy compared to the actual results. The results obtained from the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) generally show a decrease in the elastic modulus and an increase in impact resistance with the increase of the NBR phase, ranging from 10% to 30% by weight; As the compatibilizer content increases from 3% to 15% by weight, both the elastic modulus and impact resistance continuously improve; Additionally, increasing the SiC nanoparticles from 1% to 5% by weight increases the elastic modulus and improves impact resistance. Optimization of the mechanical properties resulted in values of 273.75 MPa for the elastic modulus and 69.01 J/m for impact resistance. These values were achieved with the optimal composition, which contained 17.62% NBR, 15% PP-g-MA, and 4.47% SiC by weight. Considering the effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties of materials, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were used to study the microstructure to confirm the results.
Keywords
Polypropylene, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber, Silicon Carbide, Nanocomposite, Response Surface Methodology
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Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering
Volume 12, Issue 7 - Serial Number 93
September 2025
Pages 31-48