Abstract:
The search for weight and cost reduction led the automotive industry to use polymers, providing weight and cost reduction, influencing energy efficiency. The increasing mechanical requirements led to the search for new materials, with composite plastic materials being a widely used alternative. The aim of this research is to study the thermal and mechanical behavior of a polypropylene composite with silicon carbide, in 600 mesh size particles, in concentrations of 3%, 6%, 9%, 12% and 15% by weight. The material went through a grinding and extrusion process to ensure homogenization of the composite, followed by injection into traction and impact specimens. The extruded material was subjected to TGA, DTA and Shore D hardness tests. The maximum results for the mechanical tests were obtained by the composite with 12% SiC, showing an 8% improvement in the impact test, 18.7% at the limit tensile strength and 18.8% in the hardness test compared to pure polypropylene. There was an increase in the melting temperature of 19ºC for the 3% concentration, although the increase in the concentration of SiC did not cause a subsequent increase.