Investigating Tensile & Impact Properties of Recycled Polypropylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyamide & Polyethylene

Although Pakistan has an abundance of natural resources, it also faces a significant challenge with plastic waste, producing 3.3 million tons annually. This environmental issue demands immediate action, especially due to the increased demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. Our research aims to make thermoplastics more environmentally friendly by focusing on the properties of recycled polypropylene (PP) enhanced with elastomers and calcium carbonate. Despite a modest loss in tensile properties and impact strength, recycled PP retains key characteristics. Adding calcium carbonate notably increases density, from 908 kg/m³ for stabilized recycled PP to 1029 kg/m³ for a 20% calcium carbonate blend. The total deformation analysis of both recycled and virgin PVC further supports our findings, revealing higher deformation in recycled PVC, which indicates its superior ductility. Additionally, this study examined the effects of aramid short fibers and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) additives on recycled polyamide-12 (PA-12). The inclusion of TPU decreased the modulus while increasing tensile strain and energy at break, whereas aramid fibers increased the modulus. Deformation analysis revealed significant strain concentrations in the central sections of these specimens, underscoring the impact of these additives on mechanical behavior. For example, PA-12 with 20% TPU exhibited higher maximum deformation, reflecting its enhanced tensile properties. Moreover, our deformation studies on Poly Butylene terephthalate with 0% HDPE and a blend containing 10% HDPE demonstrated the influence of HDPE content on elastic strain distribution and total deformation. The findings showed that the central region experiences substantial elastic deformation, which is critical for understanding stress distribution in these materials.