FRP RODS WITH POLYMER WASTE PROCESSING: DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF FRP RODS FROMNON-CONVENTIONAL SOURCES

This research investigates the development and characterization of sustainableFiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite rods utilizing processed polymeric waste, specifically recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) and recycled High-Density Polyethylene (rHDPE), as matrix materials, the study comprehensively evaluates the physical and mechanical properties of these novel composites, reinforced with glass fibers at 50% and 60% volume fractions, and compares them against a reference FRP rod made with virgin epoxy, key findings indicate that rPET-based composites exhibit promising mechanical performance, particularly at 60% fiber content, demonstrating significant improvements in tensile and flexural properties with increased fiber loading, while rPET rods showed tensile strengths approaching 75% and flexural strengths around 77% of the virgin epoxy reference, rHDPE-based composites displayed comparatively lower performance, attributed primarily to higher void content and poorer fiber-matrix adhesion as evidenced by lower interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) values, the study highlights the critical role of polymer type and processing on void formation and interfacial bonding, with rPET demonstrating better compatibility with glass fibers than the non-polar rHDPE.Microstructural analysis, schematically represented by fracture surface features, further elucidates the failure mechanisms, including fiber pull-out, fiber fracture, and the influence of voids and interfacial adhesion, these initial results underscore the potential of rPET as a viable matrix for sustainable FRPs in certain structural applications, while suggesting that rHDPE requires further interfacial modification for enhanced performance, the research contributes to the advancement of value-added recycling pathways for polymer waste into functional engineering materials.