Integrated manufacturing of REciclable multi-material COmposites for the TRANSport sector
On the injection molding of thick?walled TPVs: linking static and dynamic mechanical properties with morphology
Elastomers are widely used in the automotive industry in anti?vibration components. Commonly, elastomeric anti?vibration components are made of thermoset rubbers. However, new drivers related to requirements of the new sustainable mobility industry are pushing towards the substitution of thermoset rubbers by thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Among TPEs, thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) represent an interesting material choice for anti?vibration products due to their light weight, recyclability, ease of processing by means of injection molding and design flexibility. In this work, the correlation between static and dynamic mechanical properties and morphology of injection molded thick?walled TPVs has been investigated. Interestingly, when comparing TPVs with different hardness, the softest TPV demonstrated an improvement on elastic ability to recover of up to a 50% in transverse to flow direction as well as a highly anisotropic viscoelastic behavior. These phenomena are interpreted in terms of the orientation of EPDM particles together with PP crystals and chain alignment observed in microstructural characterization tests. This study opens new opportunities to develop TPV?based anti?vibration components with superior elasticity and customizable static and dynamic mechanical properties by considering anisotropic character of soft TPV materials in product design and development strategies.
» Publication Date: 30/12/2022
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement Nº 768737
