Matthias Mihalic

The use of cellulose fiber-filled polypropylene (PP) composites in combination with foam injection molding has enabled the lightweight design of injection-molded parts. The study provides achievements for the physical foam injection molding (MuCell^®) process of PP–cellulose fiber compounds by using CO₂ as the direct foaming agent, including a comparison of MuCell^® foaming with N₂ and a comparison to a chemical foaming process. Weight and density reductions, foam structure and specific mechanical properties are highly dependent on the applied processing parameters. The maximum weight reduction reached values of up to 16%, and density reduction even reached 33% in relation to the compact plates. The extent of weight and density reduction could be adjusted, among other factors, by a reduction in the shot volume. Setting the density reduction to 22% allowed for simultaneously decreasing weight while sustaining the specific flexural properties and limiting the loss of specific impact strength. By using optimized FIM parameters, the mechanical performance could be improved, with specific modulus values even outperforming the compact reference sample. This presents a significant benefit for the preparation of lightweight products and sets the basis for further optimization and modeling studies.

Reducing weight not only consumes fewer resources for manufacturing but also requires less energy for transportation, thus preserving resources and reducing CO₂ emissions. The latter part is of utmost importance in mobility applications. For example, in the automotive industry, the large-scale production of lightweight structural parts is becoming a main issue. An effective method to meet these requirements is foam injection moulding. In this study, physical (MuCell technology) and chemical foam injection moulding was used to produce plates made from wood-fibre- and cellulose-fibre-reinforced polypropylene, respectively. For both technologies, the used core-back method enabled precise mould opening during injection and thus allowed for variation in the plate thickness and density. The simpler short-shot technology, used only for the chemical foaming trials with differing shot volumes, provided plates with constant thicknesses. The foam structure and finally the mechanical properties of the plates depended on the filler type, the foaming method and the density. The latter was directly linked to either the plate thickness or the shot volume. Physical foaming appeared to be slightly more effective regarding the achievable density reduction (up to 37% reduction), but the physically foamed parts had worse mechanical properties at equal density than their chemically foamed counterparts. Besides the comparison of different foaming methods, this study provides the tensile, flexural and impact properties of natural-fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites over a wide density range, thus offering a good basis for evaluating weight-saving potential for various applications.

This work focuses on the influence of the composition of novolac–LDPE-based mixtures, which serve as a matrix for the green bodies for bio-based silicon carbide (C/Si/SiC) ceramics, on the morphology and the mechanical properties of the green bodies and the ceramics produced thereof. The green bodies were obtained through compounding and injection moulding, and were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical testing. Selected formulations were reinforced with natural fibres, pyrolysed to yield porous carbon templates, and converted into C/Si/SiC ceramics via liquid silicon infiltration. The carbon and ceramic specimens were characterised by light optical microscopy (LOM) and mechanical testing. Without further additives, very coarse morphologies of the novolac–LDPE-based mixtures were obtained, but the miscibility could be improved by the addition of a coupling agent and a lubricant. The pore structure of the carbon specimens was dependent on the phase distribution in the green bodies, and in turn determined the morphology of the C/Si/SiC ceramics. In all steps of the process chain, the morphology had a very strong influence on the mechanical properties. From green bodies with a homogeneous phase distribution, ceramic specimens with a SiC content of up to 75 vol% could be obtained.

While cellulose fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites typically offer good stiffness and strength in combination with ecological benefits and a high potential for lightweight construction, they often require measures taken to improve their impact performance. In this work, the influence of different types of impact modifier on the mechanical performance of a PP–cellulose composite was systematically investigated, with a particular focus on the improvement of the notched impact strength and the accompanying loss of stiffness. Among the tested impact modifiers, ethylene-octene copolymers appeared to be the most suitable class to achieve a good overall performance. A high modifier viscosity increased its potential to improve the notched impact strength of the composite. Additionally, composite production on a larger scale improved the impact performance without significantly affecting the tensile properties. Several composites from this study surpassed the overall mechanical performance of a benchmark commercial PP–cellulose composite. While the impact strength of commercial high-impact PP–talc composites could not be reached, the considerably lower density of the PP–cellulose composites is worth mentioning.