Glass fiber composite

1 . A fiber reinforced composite comprising:

(a) 59 to 90 wt.-% of a polypropylene, based on the fiber reinforced composite,

(b) 9.0 to 40 wt.-% of glass fibers, based on the fiber reinforced composite, the glass fibers used in the fiber reinforced composite being short glass fibers having an average fiber length of 2.0 to 10.0 mm, and

(c) 0.05 to 5.0 wt.-% of a compatibilizer, based on the fiber reinforced composite,

wherein the total amount of the polypropylene, the short glass fibers and the compatibilizer in the fiber reinforced composite is at least 95 wt.-%,

wherein the polypropylene has:

(i) a melting temperature Tm determined by DSC according to ISO 11357-3 (heating and cooling rate 10° C./min) in the range of 152 to 160° C.,

(ii) a comonomer content determined by 13 C-NMR spectroscopy of not more than 0.5 wt.-%, the comonomer being ethylene,

(iii) a molecular weight distribution (MWD) determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in the range of 1.0 to below 4.0, and

(iv) 2,1 regio-defects determined by 13 C-NMR spectroscopy in the range of 0.10 to 0.90%, wherein the process for manufacture of the fiber reinforced composite comprises:

melt blending

(a) the polypropylene,

(b) the glass fibers, having an average fiber length of 2.0 to 10.0 mm,

(c) the compatibilizer, and

(d) optional additives

in an extruder and extruding the fiber reinforced composite.

2 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the polypropylene has a xylene cold soluble (XCS) fraction measured according to ISO 16152 (25° C.) in the range of 0.05 to 1.0 wt.-%.

3 . The fiber reinforced composite to claim 1 , wherein the polypropylene forms a continuous phase in which the fibers are embedded.

4 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the polypropylene has a melt flow rate MFR 2 (230° C., 2.16 kg) measured according to ISO 1133 in the range of 5.0 to 500 g/10 min.

5 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the polypropylene is a monophasic polypropylene.

6 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforced composite consists of

(a) 59 to 90 wt.-% of the polypropylene, based on the fiber reinforced composite,

(b) 9.0 to 40 wt.-% of short glass fibers, based on the fiber reinforced composite,

(c) 0.05 to 5.0 wt.-% of the compatibilizer, based on the fiber reinforced composite, and

(d) 0.1 to 5.0 wt.-% of additives, based on the fiber reinforced composite.

7 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the polypropylene has not been visbroken.

8 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 5 , wherein the monophasic polypropylene is a propylene homopolymer.

9 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 8 , wherein the propylene homopolymer has:

(i) a melting temperature Tm determined by DSC according to ISO 11357-3 (heating and cooling rate 10° C./min) in the range of 153 to 159° C.,

(ii) a molecular weight distribution (MWD) determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in the range of 1.6 to 3.8,

(iii) a xylene cold soluble (XCS) fraction measured according to ISO 16152 (25° C.) in the range of 0.10 to 0.90 wt.-%, and

(iv) 2,1 regio-defects determined by 13 C-NMR spectroscopy in the range of 0.15 to 0.80%.

10 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the polypropylene has been produced by polymerizing propylene and optionally ethylene in the presence of a metallocene catalyst having the formula (I):

wherein each R 1 are independently the same or can be different and are hydrogen or a linear or branched C 1 -C 6 alkyl group, wherein at least one R 1 per phenyl group is not hydrogen,

R′ is a C 1 -C 10 hydrocarbyl group, and

X independently is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy group, C 1 -C 6 alkyl group, phenyl or benzyl group.

11 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the short glass fibers have an average diameter of 5 to 20 μm.

12 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 , wherein the compatibilizer is a maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene.

13 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 12 , wherein the maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene has a maleic anhydride content of 0.1 to 5.0 wt.-% and a melt flow rate MFR 2 (190° C., 2.16 kg) measured according to ISO 1133 in the range of 80 to 250 g/10 min.

14 . A process for the manufacture of a fiber reinforced composite, the fiber reinforced composite comprising:

(a) 59 to 90 wt.-% of a polypropylene, based on the fiber reinforced composite,

(b) 9.0 to 40 wt.-% of glass fibers, based on the fiber reinforced composite, and

(c) 0.05 to 5.0 wt. of a compatibilizer, based on the fiber reinforced composite,

wherein the total amount of the polypropylene, the glass fibers and the compatibilizer in the fiber reinforced composite is at least 95 wt.-%,

wherein the polypropylene has been produced by polymerizing propylene in the presence of a metallocene catalysts and wherein the polypropylene has:

(i) a melting temperature Tm determined by DSC according to ISO 11357-3 (heating and cooling rate 10° C./min) in the range of 152 to 160° C.,

(ii) a comonomer content determined by 13 C-NMR spectroscopy of not more than 0.5 wt.-%, the comonomer being ethylene,

(iii) a molecular weight distribution (MWD) determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in the range of 1.0 to below 4.0, and

(iv) 2, 1 regio-defects determined by 13 C-NMR spectroscopy in the range of 0.10 to 0.90%;

the process for the manufacture of the fiber reinforced composite comprising:

melt blending

(a) the polypropylene,

(b) the short glass fibers, having an average fiber length of 2.0 to 10.0 mm,

(c) the compatibilizer, and

(d) optionally additives

in an extruder, and

extruding the same to obtain the fiber reinforced composite.

15 . An article comprising at least 90 wt.-% of the fiber reinforced composite according to claim 1 .

16 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 10 , wherein R′ is a C 1 -C 4 hydrocarbyl group.

17 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 10 , wherein R′ is a methyl group.

18 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein R′ is a C 1 -C 4 hydrocarbyl group.

19 . The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein R′ is a methyl group.

20 . The process according to claim 14 , wherein the metallocene catalyst has the formula (I):

wherein each R 1 are independently the same or can be different and are hydrogen or a linear or branched C 1 -C 6 alkyl group, wherein at least one R 1 per phenyl group is not hydrogen,

R′ is a C 1 -C 10 hydrocarbyl group, and

X independently is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy group, C 1 -C 6 alkyl group, phenyl or benzyl group.