Influence of the percentage of recycled material on the mechanical properties of low-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinyl chloride

Abstract

The aim of this article was to fabricate virgin polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, and low-density polyethylene blended with their corresponding recycled material in different ratios of virgin/recycled via injection molding and to evaluate their tensile strength, impact fracture, and hardness behavior. Raman spectroscopy was used to qualitatively study the characteristics of the recycled material in comparison with the virgin material. The impact testing method was the Charpy impact test, and for the hardness measurement, the shore D hardness method was used. The tensile tests were performed following the ATSM 683 standard. Scanning electron microscopy was used for chemical analysis and imaging to confirm the presence of contaminants.