Influences of TPU Content on the Weld Line Characteristics of PP and ABS Blends

Abstract

This study aims to explore the effects of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) content on the weld line properties of Polypropylene (PP) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) blends. In PP/TPU blends, increasing the TPU content results in a significant decrease in the PP/TPU composite’s ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values. Blends with 10 wt%, 15 wt%, and 20 wt% TPU and pure PP outperform blends with 10 wt%, 15 wt%, and 20 wt% TPU and recycled PP in terms of UTS value. The blend with 10 wt% TPU and pure PP achieves the highest UTS value of 21.85 MPa. However, the blend’s elongation decreases due to the poor bonding in the weld line area. According to Taguchi’s analysis, the TPU factor has a more significant overall influence on the mechanical properties of PP/TPU blends than the recycled PP factor. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results show that the TPU area has a dimple shape on the fracture surface due to its significantly higher elongation value. The 15 wt% TPU sample achieves the highest UTS value of 35.7 MPa in ABS/TPU blends, which is considerably higher than other cases, indicating good compatibility between ABS and TPU. The sample containing 20 wt% TPU has the lowest UTS value of 21.2 MPa. Furthermore, the elongation-changing pattern corresponds to the UTS value. Interestingly, SEM results present that the fracture surface of this blend is flatter than the PP/TPU blend due to a higher compatibility rate. The 30 wt% TPU sample has a higher rate of dimple area than the 10 wt% TPU sample. Moreover, ABS/TPU blends gain a higher UTS value than PP/TPU blends. Increasing the TPU ratio mainly reduces the elastic modulus of both ABS/TPU blends and PP/TPU blends. This study reveals the advantages and disadvantages of mixing TPU with PP or ABS to ensure that it meets the requirements of the intended applications.