Pembuatan dan Karakterisasi Termoplastik Elastomer dari Paduan EPDM/Polipropilena dengan Pengisi Serbuk Tanah Liat sebagai Peredam Benturan Pintu Kendaraan

Abstract

The increase in the number of vehicles in Indonesia creates opportunities for the rubber component industry, including weather strips for car doors. This study aims to produce a blend of EPDM and polypropylene with clay powder as filler and PP-g MA, which will be vulcanized with the addition of paraffin oil, stearic acid, ZnO, MBTS, and sulfur to produce a blend with superior mechanical properties suitable for application as weather strips on car doors. The clay powder filler variations used were 5 phr, 10 phr, 20 phr, 30 phr, and 40 phr. The blends were then molded using a hot press at 185°C and subsequently tested for their mechanical properties. The optimum EPDM/PP/clay powder blend was further analyzed using FTIR, SEM, and TGA. Based on the mechanical property analysis, the EPDM/PP/clay powder blend with 10 phr filler was found to be optimum, with tensile strength values before and after aging of 14.021 MPa and 13.243 MPa, elongation of 13.44% and 11.54%, and impact strength of 3433.3 J/m². The tensile strength values before and after aging met the SNI 06 14900-1989 standard. FTIR analysis of the optimum EPDM/PP/filler blend showed the presence of Si–O functional groups at a wavenumber of 1101.3 cm⁻¹ originating from the clay powder. SEM analysis revealed a homogeneous structure, although some agglomeration was observed at certain points. Thermal analysis indicated decomposition occurred at 528.23°C with a total mass loss of 65.67%