A study of polypropylene and graphene and their nanocomposites using ANSYS

Abstract

Polymers can be natural or synthetic and are largely used in several applications due to their versatile properties. Polymers can vary widely in their properties and applications, and they are a fundamental part of our everyday life. Polypropylene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer from the polyolefin family. It is among the most widely used plastics in various automotive and packaging industries. Although PP is widely used in commodity range, still its applications are restricted in niche areas due to lack of toughness which can be improved by incorporation of rubbery materials or fillers. Graphene (G) is one of the nanomaterials used to strengthen polypropylene. Graphene is recognized for its outstanding thermo-mechanical properties, making it a highly desirable material in various fields of science and technology. Benefits gained by incorporation of graphene nanoparticles into polypropylene are studied by researchers. In this study, a finite element analysis is performed which shows the mechanical behaviour of PP and G using ANSYS, which is one of the most powerful finite element analysis (FEA) softwares that can help to perform such simulations to understand stress, strain, deformation of components before actual experimentation. The bending load of 100 N and 1400 N in vertical z-direction are applied for 100% PP model, 100% G model and 50% PP+50% G model and the linear part of stress-strain curve is captured in this analysis.

Keywords

• polypropylene
• graphene nanoparticles
• von-mises stress
• finite element analysis