Mechanical Performance of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Composites Containing Quarry Dust Filler

Abstract

An innovative thermoplastic composite was produced using quarry dust which is an industrial waste from quarry industries. The quarry dust was added into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) using melt blending technique in an internal mixer at different mixing loading ratios. The quarry dust filled HDPE (QD-HDPE) composites were then characterized in terms of morphological and mechanical properties. Analysis on processing torque to produce QD-HDPE composites was conducted and the results showed that the optimum quarry dust loading in HDPE composites is at 30wt%. The results from mechanical test such as ultimate tensile strength (UTS), E-modulus, elongation at break, and flexural strength justify this. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis shows that quarry dust had a rough surface with sharp edges and it can be successfully added into HDPE matrix as a filler. In conclusion, performance of the HDPE composites is enhanced by the incorporation of quarry dust. This indicates that quarry dust is a potential filler to be used in thermoplastic composite industries in order to reduce the production cost and relax the pollution problems.