Abstract
In this study, the degradation of mechanical properties of polypropylene(PP)/talc composite after immersion in benzene was evaluated experimentally. Tensile tests were performed before and after immersion in benzene on specimens of this micro-composite, with different talc weight contents (0, 10, 40, and 50%). Microscopic observations were also performed on immersed and non-immersed specimens to explain the results of the tensile tests. These results show that the presence of talc particles improved the rigidity of the composite by increasing its Young modulus and decreasing its ultimate strain. However, the immersion in benzene caused significant degradation of the Young modulus, even though the talc content was increased. The study was completed by determining the optimal values of talc conten using the design experiment method.