Uso de resíduo industrial de plástico reforçado com fibra de vidro como carga num compósito novo: avaliação mecânica e microestrutural

Abstract

Industrial development and population growth have brought about as an immediate consequence an increase in demand for durable goods and industrialized disposable products. This increase has created many problems for populations, especially the enhanced production of solid waste, which is generated both in manufacturing and disposal processes. Nowadays, solid waste management constitutes government agendas in all domains pertaining to development and implementation of sustainable practices. This study evaluates the effects of adding fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) waste to the composition of a new material, with the purpose of comparing this new material to FRP with no added waste. Evaluation techniques included destructive and nondestructive testing, as well as scanning electron microscopy. The goal is to obtain a material with characteristics superior to those of conventional materials, or at least acceptable in comparison. Additionally, this study attempts to propose an adequate manner of recycling and reusing waste, thus minimizing issues caused by the disposal of slow degradation materials. Polymeric composites reinforced with fiberglass were manufactured with and without addition of crushed waste of this same material. The crushed waste was added to FRP composites by hand lay-up in proportions of 0%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of their weight. Results of uniaxial tensile and three-point bending tests show that composites with added waste presented some differences in their values of ultimate tensile stress, elasticity modulus, rupture deformation, and maximum deflection when compared to the composite with no added waste. The composite with 10% waste addition showed an increase of approximately 17% in its modulus in the uniaxial tensile test, though it also presented a 21% decrease in its resistance limit. These results demonstrate that the reuse of residues in manufacturing processes may be a viable option for numerous applications, provided that the resistance limits of materials are observed.