Fsw Of Polypropylene Reinforced With Al2o3 Nano Composites, Effect On Mechanical And Microstructural Properties

Friction stir welding is a solid state joining process first used for welding of Aluminum and its alloys, is now employed for welding of polymers and composite materials. Polypropylene (pp) is one of polymer materials used in many applications due to its good performance, high strength to weight ratio and excellent processing properties, its application is limited due to its weak abrasive properties, impact resistance at low temperatures. Al2O3 reinforcement used to modify the properties of polymer matrix due to its excellent dielectric properties, good thermal conductivity, high strength and resistance even at the elevated temperatures. In this study ball milling of Al2O3 powder particles was carried out, particles reduced to nano composites size and produces Al2O3 nano composites. The volume percentage of nano sized Al2O3 particles ranged from 5% to 15% in polypropylene matrix. From microscopic observations, it was clear that the distribution of reinforcing particles was uniform. Moreover tensile and micro-hardness tests have been utilized to investigate the mechanical properties of prepared samples in different volume percentages. It has been observed that the samples with high percentage of nano sized Al2O3 powder show higher micro-hardness number as well as higher ultimate tensile strength.