Aspects of foaming a glass‐reinforced polypropylene with chemical blowing agents

Abstract This work explores the influence of a chemical blowing agent on different aspects of producing a short glass‐fiber‐reinforced polypropylene foam, examining the rheology of the system, the developed morphology of the part, and the resulting mechanical properties. Two different forms of an endothermic blowing agent, namely powder versus masterbatch, were compared to determine their effects on the process history and properties of an injection molded part. Samples were produced on an injection molding machine between 230 and 270°C using the low‐pressure foaming technique. Rheology of the resulting plasticized melt by the two different blowing agents was measured on an in‐line rheometer, showing a greater reduction in shear viscosity for the masterbatch additive, which correspondingly reduced the extent of fiber breakage observed. The final molded samples were analyzed for their foam structure (i.e., cell size, cell density, and skin thickness) as well as the properties of the glass fibers incorporated (namely, fiber length distribution). Tensile properties were found to diminish with increasing blowing agent content, though differences were observed based on the type of CBA used despite the similarities in foam structure produced. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4696–4706, 2006