Mechanical properties of recycled thermoplastics

Abstract

The widespread use of recycled plastics has been restricted in part because of
the limited state of knowledge about the behavior of this recycled material
and the lack of unified design procedures. The material behaves differently
in tension and compression, and the non-linear nature of recycled plastic
makes some parameters, such as modulus of elasticity, difficult to determine.
Generally, there is no clearly defined yield point. This paper analyses the
properties of recycled thermoplastics, and analyses also the methods of
testing recycled material members in both axial compression and flexure. In
an effort to provide means for analysis of recycled plastic, material tests of
discrete portions of beams were performed to develop an uniaxial material
model. The model was used to predict member response based on section
geometry alone. This enables prediction of member response of sections not
yet tested or even constructed with greater accuracy than previously possible,
regardless of the differences in tension-compression behavior and material
nonlinearities or variations in material properties among manufacturers.

Keywords: mechanical properties, recycled thermoplastics, tension and
compression tests

Journal of Modeling, Design and Management of Engineering Systems, Vol. 3 (1) 2005: pp. 1-13