Abstract
The need for transforming waste Poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) bottles to usable products is of primary concern due to high ratio of use of PET bottles to recycling, around the world. One of the methods of recycling waste PET bottles is by developing composites which can find application in the construction industry. PET flakes are used as reinforcing material to resin cast PET reinforced polymer composite. In this study PET flakes of different weight percentages (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) are reinforced in polyester resin matrix and mechanical properties evaluated. The surface hardness (ASTM D2240 and DIN 53505), compressive (ASTM D695-15) and tensile strength (ASTM D3039) of the developed composites are evaluated experimentally. The morphological features of the fractured samples were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The hardness of the developed composites was found to increase with increase in percentage of PET flakes up to and including 15%. The composite with 10% PET flakes exhibited maximum tensile strength and the composite with 5% PET flakes exhibited maximum compressive strength. The tensile and compressive strength follow similar trends in comparison.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
