High-strength glass fiber reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) rod

High-strength glass fiber reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) rod is a high-performance engineering plastic material that combines excellent mechanical properties with chemical stability. It uses polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) as the matrix, with a certain proportion of glass fiber (GF) reinforcement fillers added, and is formed through high-temperature extrusion or molding processes. The glass fiber reinforcement not only significantly enhances the rigidity, strength, and dimensional stability of PPS but also ensures that the material maintains excellent performance under high temperatures and corrosive environments. As a result, it is widely used in chemical equipment, electronics and electrical applications, automotive components, aerospace structural parts, and machinery manufacturing.

From a molecular structure perspective, PPS is a semi-crystalline polymer composed of benzene rings and sulfide bonds, featuring a highly stable molecular backbone. This structure provides it with excellent heat resistance and chemical inertness, while the introduction of glass fibers enhances interfacial bonding, leading to a leap in mechanical performance. Compared to pure PPS material, glass fiber reinforced PPS rods can increase tensile strength by 40% to 70%, with flexural strength and modulus nearly doubling. Their long-term service temperature can exceed 200°C, with short-term heat resistance reaching up to 260°C.

In high-temperature environments, glass fiber reinforced PPS rods exhibit outstanding heat deflection temperature stability, with a heat deflection temperature (HDT) generally exceeding 240°C, maintaining structural integrity even under harsh conditions. The addition of glass fibers inhibits creep and thermal expansion of PPS molecular chains, resulting in significantly superior dimensional stability compared to conventional engineering plastics. This makes it highly suitable for precision mechanical parts, thermally loaded structural components, and high-temperature support parts.

In terms of chemical performance, glass fiber reinforced PPS rods can withstand acids, alkalis, salt solutions, and most organic solvents, remaining largely unaffected by fuels, lubricants, strong oxidizing agents, and hot water vapor. Their low water absorption ensures dimensional accuracy and electrical insulation properties in humid or chemical environments. Consequently, they are widely used in components such as chemical pump housings, valve seats, sealing rings, conveying pipe fittings, and sensor brackets.

Electrical performance is another highlight of glass fiber reinforced PPS rods. The material exhibits extremely low dielectric constant and dielectric loss and maintains excellent insulation characteristics even under high temperature and humidity conditions, making it highly suitable for electrical insulation parts, connectors, coil bobbins, and electronic structural supports. Additionally, the material inherently possesses UL94 V-0 flame retardancy without the need for additional flame retardants, ensuring safety and reliability in electronic and electrical applications.

In terms of machinability, glass fiber reinforced PPS rods offer good processability and can be manufactured into high-precision components through CNC machining, turning, milling, and drilling. Due to their high surface hardness and dense internal structure, the finished products exhibit smooth and flat surfaces, making them suitable for precision fixtures, sliding parts, thermal insulation supports, and structural connectors. Furthermore, their excellent self-lubrication and wear resistance make them perform well in friction and wear environments, allowing them to replace some metal components to reduce equipment weight.

In industrial applications, glass fiber reinforced PPS rods are commonly used to produce high-demand components such as valve seat rings, bearing sleeves, partitions, fasteners, pump structural parts, and high-temperature electrical insulation boards. Particularly in automotive engine compartments and electronic-electrical modules, their excellent thermal stability and flame retardancy make them ideal replacements for metals and thermosetting plastics. Additionally, they are widely used in aerospace, nuclear power equipment, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and medical device support components, meeting the stringent requirements for high strength, low volatility, and corrosion resistance in these industries.

In summary, high-strength glass fiber reinforced PPS rods are engineering plastics that combine high-temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, high mechanical strength, excellent dimensional stability, and superior flame retardancy. They not only address the limitations of traditional plastics in high-temperature and chemical environments but can also replace metals in certain applications, contributing to lightweight and durable designs. For industrial applications requiring stable performance under extreme conditions, glass fiber reinforced PPS rods are undoubtedly a cost-effective high-performance material choice.