Determination of Mechanical Properties of Fruit Shell Powders Reinforced Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) Materials and Case Study for I-Type Snap-Fit Model

Abstract

High quality material production has been among the work of many researchers in recent years. These materials, which are obtained mostly by the production of composite materials, enable the production of lighter, more durable and less costly products. Increasing environmental pollution in recent years, protection of natural resources and ensuring recycling have increased the importance of wood plastic composite material production. In this study, wood plastic composite material was obtained by using ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic material and six different fruit shell powders (walnut, pistachio, peanut, almond, hazelnut and apricot shell). The mechanical properties of the obtained composite material were determined and its effect on the I type snap-fits was analyzed in ANSYS software. When the resulting composite material's mechanical properties were tested, it was found that the density and tensile strength decreased while the Vicat softening point value and melt flow rate increased. In the analysis performed using the ANSYS software, it was found that the composite I type snap-fit design of the same size can resist 12.6% N less force when the material is subjected to its maximum values when it achieves the elongation at break value.