Effect of Fly Ash on the Mechanical Properties of Polyvinyl Chloride-Fly Ash Composite

Abstract

Fly ash (FA), a fine powder obtained during the combustion of coal at a thermal power station, possesses several environmental issues, including atmosphere contamination and huge land area for dumping. One potential use of FA is as filler in polymers in order to improve their properties and to reduce production costs. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a well-known thermoplastic and the most commonly used polymers in building industries due to its advantageous properties. This study investigated the influences of the FA as filler material on the mechanical properties of PVC/FA composites. PVC in powder form was mixed with addictive substances (Tribasic Lead Sulfate, Normal Lead Stearate, Calcium Stearate, and Stearate Acid) at a temperature of 100 °C. Following this, the FA was added to the mixed PVC in various compositions (0, 8, 10, 20, and 30 phr) and shook. The Hot Press Molding machine fabricated the PVC/FA composites under pressure of 13 MPa at a temperature of 200 °C for 300 s. Tensile and impact tests were carried out in accordance with ASTM D638-02A type IV and ASTM D6110-04, respectively. The results revealed that the incorporation of FA had significantly improved the tensile strength, Young’s Modulus, and the elongation at break of the composites. The composite containing 8 phr FA showed the highest value of the respective properties. Those properties tended to decrease with the increase of FA content. The impact properties also showed a similar phenomenon. The value of impact strength and impact energy for the composite containing 10 phr were found the highest. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that FA particles were precipitated and mechanically interlocked in the PVC matrix. Particle agglomeration was found in the composites containing higher amounts of FA. The study indicates a remarkable potential for FA to produce useful PVC/VA composite.