Effect of Fibre Loading on the Mechanical Properties of Waste Newspaper Particulate Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composite

Abstract

This paper presents the usage of waste newspaper particulate (WNP) as a source of reinforcement in polymer composite production. The surface of  the WNP was modified using alkaline (NaOH) and silane [3-(trimethoxy silyl) propyl methacrylate] treatment. Different weight percentages of WNP  were compounded with polyester. Tensile, flexural, impact and hardness test were performed to obtain the mechanical properties of the  compounded composite material. The results obtained for Tensile Strength (TS) and Tensile Modulus (TM), impact test and hardness values showed  an increase as the percentage of the waste newspaper particulate reinforcement increased. An increase of 29.45% for TS was observed, 34.95% for  TM and 49.21% for impact energy. However, the flexural strength was observed to decrease as filler loading was increased with the maximum value of 57.29MPa at  5wt%.