Development and Characterization of Plastic Composites

Plastic composites are relatively affordable, lightweight, durable, and are being studied for applications as a replacement to traditional materials, such as aluminum, concrete, glass, and steel. The purpose of this work was to characterize plastic composite blends of polystyrene and high-density polyethylene combined in different percentage weights, using a single screw extrusion melt-processing method. Mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of each composite blend were tested to characterize the samples. Flexural tests were performed to measure the amount of load the composites could withstand. Impact data revealed that the mid-level blends absorbed the least amount of energy, reflecting a low impact resistance. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed that with an increase in polystyrene content, the melting and crystallization temperatures remained constant. This data allows for a detailed characterization of the various compositions of polystyrene and high-density polyethylene. The determined properties will be beneficial for future applications in materials science.