Weathering of polypropylene composites containing weldlines

This work deals with the weathering behaviour of polypropylene composites containing fillers with various aspect ratios (glass fibre, talc. and calcium carbonate). Single and double end gated injection moulded bars were exposed outdoors in Campina Grande (Brazil) for periods up to 45 weeks and then characterised using infrared spectroscopy, tensile testing, and surface fractography. The unfilled polymer displayed the highest level of mechanical deterioration, followed by polypropylene containing glass fibre, whereas compounds with talc and calcium carbonate were the most resistant to photodegradation. These results are partially a consequence of the screening effect caused by talc and calcium carbonate at the exposed surface. The results indicated that weldlines make the parts weaker, although the strength loss caused by weathering of double end gated samples was similar to that observed with mouldings produced by single gated injection. It was also observed that the adhesion between glass fibre and the polymer matrix was much reduced after weathering, probably as a result of diffusion of water to the interface.