Sustainable Engineering of Mechanical Properties in ABS Composites through Glass Fiber and Granite Powder Reinforcements via Injection Molding

This study explored the effects of glass fiber and granite powder reinforcements on the mechanical properties of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) polymer composites produced via injection molding. Four formulations were tested: pure ABS (Batch A), ABS with 10% glass fiber (Batch B), ABS with 10% granite powder (Batch C), and a hybrid of 10% glass fiber and 10% granite powder (Batch D). Mechanical testing included tensile, flexural, compressive, impact strength, and hardness tests. Batch B showed the highest tensile strength (45.76 MPa), outperforming pure ABS (41.6 MPa), whereas the granite powder in Batch C reduced the tensile strength (36.9 MPa). Hybrid Batch D moderately improved the tensile strength (42.54 MPa) but was less effective than glass fiber alone. Batch B exhibited the highest flexural strength, whereas Batch D exhibited the highest compressive strength. The impact resistance decreased for all filled composites, particularly Batch D. Hardness was the highest in Batch D, reflecting greater material rigidity. Morphological analysis confirmed the good filler dispersion, which influenced the observed mechanical properties. Glass fiber proved to be highly effective for tensile, flexural, and hardness improvements, whereas the combination of fillers enhanced the compressive strength and hardness, offering tailored property enhancements for specific applications.