STRENGTH CHARACTERISTICS OF POLYMER COMPOSITES BASED ON RECYCLED POLYPROPYLENE FILLED WITH RICE HUSK DURING MOISTURE ABSORPTION AND NATURAL AGIN

The relevance of the issue under investigation is conditioned by an increase of the ecological burden on the environment due to the continuous increase of plastic waste, a significant proportion of polypropylene. One solution to this problem is the involvement of recycled polypropylene to obtain plastic products based on composites filled with rice husk. It makes it possible to reduce the prime cost of finished products, regulate their physical and mechanical properties, and reduce the volume of difficult-to-decompose synthetic polymers that end up in waste. The key property of polypropylene, which changes during its filling with rice husk, is moisture absorption, which contributes to a change in the strength characteristics of the polymer composite and accelerates its aging under the influence of environmental factors. In this regard, this research aims to identify the patterns of the influence of absorbed moisture and natural aging on the physical and mechanical properties of polymer composites based on recycled polypropylene filled with rice husk. The leading approach to the study of this issue is laboratory tests on the saturation of polymer composites with water of different temperatures and duration of exposure and testing materials during long-term natural aging under the influence of environmental factors. The key factor characterizing the change in the physical and mechanical properties of materials, in this case, is the elasticity modulus, elongation, and tensile stress at the break during stretching of the prototypes. The materials of the paper are of practical value for the processing of secondary thermoplastic polymers, as well as the development of biodegradable polymer composites.