Preparation and performance study of wear resistant polypropylene fiber

Abstract

Polypropylene fiber is a commonly used material in industrial coarse filtration textiles, and the wear resistance of the fiber directly affects the service life and filtration efficiency of the fabric. To improve the wear resistance of polypropylene fiber, functional materials were blended with polypropylene to form fiber. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polysiloxane-silica were adopted as additives to reduce the adhesion of particulate contaminants and wear caused by external forces on the fiber surface. To ensure an even distribution of additives in the fibers, the raw materials undergo a blending and granulation process before being spun using a single-screw spinning machine. To evaluate the wear resistance of the fiber, these fibers were woven into fabric samples for wear resistance testing. Their properties were researched through scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, water contact angle measurement, and strength testing. The results show that the additives play an effective role in improving the crystallinity, hydrophobicity, and wear resistance of the fiber. Adding the functional materials (PTFE and polysiloxane-silica) separately can increase the wear resistance of polypropylene fibers by 86.7% and 53.3%, respectively. Compared with pure polypropylene fiber, polypropylene fiber incorporating 1 wt.% PTFE and 0.5 wt.% polysiloxane-silica showed a 146.7% increase in wear resistance. With the increase of additive content, the wear resistance of fibers shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. When PTFE and polysiloxane-silica were added together to the fiber, the two had a synergistic effect in improving the wear resistance of polypropylene fiber by forming a protective film and producing a “rolling ball” effect.