Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Polymer Matrix Composites Reinforced with Waste Iron Powder

Recycling industrial waste plays a crucial role in sustainable environmental balance. Therefore, it is essential to effectively coordinate recycling and waste management, recovering materials like paper, plastic, and metal that are unsuitable for disposal. The investigation of mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites reinforced with waste iron powder can reveal significant enhancements in mechanical properties. Therefore, this study experimentally examines the tensile and flexural mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites reinforced with waste iron metal powder. Morphology investigations were carried out on the fractured tensile and flexural test specimens and comments were made on the results. For this purpose, the effect of reusability of iron powder additive as filler material on mechanical properties at four different iron powder/epoxy weight ratios (0, 2%, 4%, and 8%) was investigated. Subsequently, epoxy/iron powder homogeneous polymer matrix composite blends were cast into metal molds and test specimens were obtained. The results showed that the addition of 4 wt. % iron powder increased the tensile strength by 28%; however, it was concluded that the addition of iron powder negatively affected the flexural strength and modulus with concluding that this decrease in flexural test results was the result of the decrease in the interfacial adhesion strength between iron powder/epoxy.