Project Report: Polymer Composites for Additive Manufacturing SEM725

This project report explores the use of recycled polymer composites for structural applications, focusing on materials, methods, and results. The study investigates the enhancement of mechanical properties through the incorporation of various fillers, including calcium carbonate and mica, into a proprietary mix of recycled polymers. The methodology involves material preparation using twin-screw extrusion, mechanical testing using a Hounsfield HK100-S, and scanning electron microscopy for microstructural analysis. The results indicate that the addition of fillers can significantly improve the modulus, particularly in flexural mode, while also impacting the overall strength. The report concludes with a discussion on the impact of different fillers and the potential for glass fiber reinforcement to further enhance the mechanical properties of the composite materials, especially in flexural mode.

COMPOSITES OF RECYCLED
POLYMER FOR STRUCTURAL
APPLICATIONS

Introduction
Recovered plastics are conventionally
separated into types of polymers as
then used in the production of second
grade pallets.
The range of applications of such
pallets is limited as a result of
minimal properties as well as the
possibility of contamination that
prevents them from being used ion
food contact application

Literature review
Polymers come with numerous
advantages in comparison with the
conventional materials that are used
for structural applications.
The use of recycle materials result in
a significant reduction in the cost
even though the formulation as well
as production of polymers may be
challenging to address the natural
variability in feedstock.

Semi crystalline polyefins have numerous
desirable properties that may be used for
structural applications including
◦ high electricity resistivity
◦ chemical resistance
◦ good toughness
◦ high resistance to fatigue
◦ low absorption of water
◦ excellent resistance to corrosion
◦ UV stability [2]
The study is investigative of use of fillers
in enhancing the features of a propriety
mix of plastics.

Methodology & Methods
Materials
The polymer utilized was an exclusive
mix of normal undefined and semi
crystalline reused polymers.
Four distinct added substances were
exacerbated with the mix.
Omyalene 102M calcium carbonate
from Omya UK
Micro Mica W160 from Norwegian
Talc AS what's more, disseminated by
Omya


Preparation of Sample
The materials were intensified utilizing a
Berstorff ZE25 co-turning twin screw
extruder with a temperature profile of
180– 210uC and a speed of 430
revolutions per min [6].
Mechanical testing
Examples were tried utilizing a
Hounsfield HK100-S.
Type 2 ISO 1367 canine bone examples
were elastic tried at a speed of 5 mm
minimum
Direct CTE

Results
CaCO3 alongside mica were added to the
reused polymer mix to assess the potential
property upgrades that can be accomplished
utilizing minimal effort fillers.
Mechanical features
The impact of every filler is reliant on the
technique for stacking
Scanning electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated
a very much scattered mix of various
polymers

Discussion
The modulus was expanded by 24%, and
quality was diminished marginally.
In flexural mode, the modulus was
expanded by 40%
In flexural mode, the modulus expanded
by 114% and quality expanded somewhat
The addition of 5 wt.-% calcium
carbonate to 15 wt.-% glass fiber in the
reused polymer mix expanded the elastic
and flexural moduli by further 20%

Conclusion
The impact of addition of different
monetarily accessible fillers to a mix of
reused polymers was explored to assess
the synchronous improvement of key basic
properties of mix
Differing results were gotten by the
consolidation of a solitary filler contingent
upon the angle proportion of filler and
strategy for stacking
Glass fiber fortification contributed a
critical increment in quality and moduli,
especially in flexural mode

References
 [1] Asokan, P., Osmani, M. and Price, A.D.,
2009. Assessing the recycling potential of glass
fibre reinforced plastic waste in concrete and
cement composites. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 17(9), pp.821-829
 [2] Hugo, A.M., 2015. Recycled Polymer
Composites for Structural Applications (Doctoral
dissertation, University of Sheffield)
 [3] Hugo, A.M., Scelsi, L., Hodzic, A., Jones,
F.R. and Dwyer-Joyce, R., 2011. Development of
recycled polymer composites for structural
applications. Plastics, Rubber and
Composites, 40(6-7), pp.317-323
 [4] Kim, S.B., Yi, N.H., Kim, H.Y., Kim, J.H.J.