Additives, fillers, and reinforcements

Why they're important

Additives, fillers, and reinforcements are used to change and improve the physical
and mechanical properties of plastics. In general, reinforcing fibers increase the
mechanical properties of polymer composites while particular fillers of various types
increase the modulus.

TABLE 1. Effects of additives, fillers, and reinforcements on polymer properties

Additive / Filler /
Common materials Effects on polymer properties
Reinforcement

Increases tensile strength.

Baron, carbon, fibrous minerals,
Reinforcing fibers
glass, Kevlar
Aluminum powders, carbon
Conductive fillers
fiber, graphite
Coupling agents Silanes, titanates
Chlorine, bromine, phosphorous,
Flame retardants
metallic salts
Extender fillers Calcium carbonate, silica, clay
Monomeric liquids, low-
Plasticizers
molecular-weight materials
Metal oxides, chromates, carbon
Colorants (pigments and dyes)
blacks
Gas, azo compounds, hydrazine
Blowing agents
derivatives
Increases flexural modulus.
Increases heat-deflection
temperature (HDT).
Resists shrinkage and
warpage.
Improves electrical and
thermal conductivity.
Improves interface bonding
between polymer matrix and the
fibers.
Reduces the occurrence and
spread of combustion.
Reduces material cost.
Improves melt flow properties.
Enhances flexibility.
Provides colorfastness.
Protects from thermal and UV
degradation (with carbon blacks).
Generates a cellular form to
obtain a low-density material.
Modifying polymer properties
Electrical properties can be affected by many fillers. For example, by adding conductive fillers,
an electromagnetic shielding property can be built into plastics, which are normally poor
electrical conductors. Anti-static agents can be used to attract moisture, reducing the build-up of
static charge.

Coupling agents are added to improve the bonding of the plastic matrix and the reinforcing
fibers. Different fillers are used to lower the cost of materials. Other additives include flame
retardants to reduce the likelihood of combustion, lubricants to reduce the viscosity of the molten
plastic, plasticizers to increase the flexibility of the materials, and colorants to provide
colorfastness.

Low-aspect fillers
Fillers modify the properties and molding of the compound to which they are added. If the fillers
are characterized with a low aspect ratio between the longest and the shortest dimensions, the
basic properties will be less changed from those of the unfilled polymer. Fillers benefit plastics
parts in the following ways:

● Shrinkage will be less.

● Thermal resistance may be improved.
● Strength, especially compressive strength, will be improved.
● Impact resistance will often be lower than for the unfilled polymer.
● Solvent resistance will often be improved.

High-aspect fillers: fibers

When the aspect ratio between the longest and the shortest dimension of the filler is large, for
example, greater than 25, the filler can be characterized as a fiber. Fiber reinforcements will
significantly affect the properties of the compounds to which they are added.

Fibers impact strength

Assuming good bonding between the fiber and the polymer matrix, the strength in the fiber
direction will be significantly increased. If many fibers are oriented in the same direction, large
differences will be noted between the modulus in the orientation direction and in the direction
perpendicular to the orientation. The latter will be very close to that for the unfilled polymer.

Fibers affect shrinkage

The fibers will also have a significant effect on the shrinkage properties of the compound:
shrinkage in the orientation direction will be much less than the shrinkage in the cross direction.

Importance of predicting fiber orientation

Because the fiber orientation varies with the flow direction, in the thickness direction, and at
weld line locations, it is important to be able to predict these orientations, in order to predict the
properties of the molded article.