Hot compacted polypropylene sheet

The present paper describes the processing and mechanical properties of hot compacted polypropylene ( PP) sheet, a novel 'self reinforced' composite material having interesting properties owing to controlled molecular orientation rather than the presence of high modulus reinforcing fibres. It is shown that the compacted PP sheets have an interesting combination of properties, combining a low density, reasonable stiffness and strength, and exceptional impact strength. The behaviour of the woven oriented PP tapes through the compaction process is compared with previous work on the compaction of highly oriented polyethylene fibres. The differences in the compaction behaviour of the two materials is explained in terms of their different molecular structure.