Effect of polyethylene terephthalate char on impact and erosion properties of polyester matrix composites

ABSTRACT

In the past several decades, exhaustive research has been reported related to long fibres as the reinforcement in making polymer composites. In this research, innovative filler particles have been used as reinforcement for making the composite material. Here the filler is prepared from the waste Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottle, which is modified into char form by undergoing pyrolysis process. The waste PET bottle is crushed into fine pieces that are closely packed in a cylindrical container and are placed in the furnace maintained at a temperature of 500°C for 3 hours. PET char was used as reinforcement with varying weight percentages such as 5, 10 and 15%wt. The prepared PET char reinforced polyester composites are subjected to hardness, impact strength and erosion property studies. The erosion studies conducted with varying impingement angles revealed that 10%wt PET char filled composites possess better wear resistance. In addition to that, the erosion experiment was also performed by varying the erodent velocity. ANOVA technique was also used to know which variable is more responsible for the erosion of PET char reinforced polymer. As such, produced PET char-based composites have been used for various applications that include structural components, sports goods and making interior designs.

KEYWORDS:

• PET char
• polyester
• hardness
• impact strength
• SEM
• response surface methodology (RSM)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).