A comprehensive review to evaluate the consequences of material, additives, and parameterization in rotational molding
Authors :- Yadav J.; Ramkumar P.; Parwani A.K.
Publication :- Journal of Polymer Research, volume 30, Article number: 231 (2023)
This article provides a comprehensive review of the recent literature on various natural fiber and inorganic filler-based polymer composites used in rotational molding (RM). The RM has grown in prominence in various essential applications in recent years. Different industries are working to create lighter components, especially in the automobile and aerospace industries, to improve fuel efficiency and reduce costs. Polymer matrix composites are lightweight, recyclable, corrosion-resistant, and cost-effective. Nonetheless, they are likewise limited in terms of strength, to overcome the polymer’s obvious limitations natural fibers and inorganic particle fillers are often added to polymer composites in RM to improve their stiffness and strength and expand their uses. This necessitates a comprehensive study of the various materials available for rotational molding and their influence on the mechanical properties of composites. The variety of materials used in rotational molding is examined and recent advancements are highlighted in the first section. The second section of the discussion focuses on various materials used in rotational molding, their properties, and their advantages and disadvantages. The third section of the paper is dedicated to examining the relationship between the molecular weight of the material and the resulting crystallinity and mechanical properties of blended composites. The fourth section, which comes next, is about mixing natural fibers and inorganic filler with the base resin and their effect on the mechanical properties of a roto-molded product and also discusses the effect of fillers on the flow, void, and viscosity. The final section of the paper discusses several factors that can affect the properties of composites, including the particle size of natural and inorganic fillers, the heating and cooling of the mold, aging and degradation, and the rheology of the composite material. Past literature depicts that the mechanical properties of composite increase when the particle size gets smaller for both natural filler and inorganic particulate filler. This literature review has led to the following conclusion: to develop highly efficient particulate composites that can be greatly aided by careful selection of the base resin, additives, and parameter characterization.