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Abstract The objective of the study was to investigate the flexural mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of polypropylene composites reinforced with cellulose and glass particles. Polypropylene lacks sufficient strength and stiffness for many applications. By reinforcing it with cellulose and glass particles, the study was aimed at enhancing these mechanical properties, addressing the need for stronger and more durable materials. These composites are likely to find applications in the automotive industry where light weight, strong and heat resistant materials are needed for bumpers, dashboards, and interior trims. Additionally, these composites can be used for consumer goods where strong and lightweight materials are needed for various consumer products such as furniture, sporting goods, and appliances. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to explore the properties of the cellulosic composites and the experimental method was used to validate the results of FEA. The injection moulding process was used to fabricate the specimens for this study. The specimens were then characterized for their thermal behavior, morphology, and flexural properties. The thermal properties that were performed were thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, the morphology of the fabricated samples was examined using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composites were fabricated at filler volume fractions ranging from 0% to 50%. The flexural strength of both the wood powder/PP composites and the hybrid composites were found to be maximum for a filler volume fraction of 40% exhibiting 796.44 MPa and 1692.951 MPa, respectively. The research also noted from TGA that the melting temperature of all the fabricated samples were in the range of 150 °C to 160 °C. The glass transition temperature of neat polypropylene was around −20 °C.
Webo et al. (Mon,) studied this question.