The effects of Fly ash on the mechanical properties of recycled PVC
Mentor 1
Dr. Nidal Abu-Zahra
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 10:30 AM
End Date
24-4-2015 11:45 AM
Description
Fly ash is a by-product of coal combustion power generation. For the past thirty years it has been used as a filler in concrete manufacturing. The issue is that the amount produced far outweighs the demand. This study will be looking at the viability of adding varying amounts of fly ash to poly vinyl chloride (PVC) for use in construction material such as decking board. Coal power plants often pay large sums to companies for disposal of their excess fly ash. This means that fly ash can be acquired at low cost and could drastically reduce the cost of PVC. If the study shows that the addition of fly ash can maintain at the very least the physical properties of the PVC product, it will have reduce the cost of the product along with finding an additional use for the fly ash waste stream. Samples must first be prepared and created via extrusion. Next, samples are ground to a powder to produce regrind that is then mixed with regrind free PVC to test the recyclability of the samples. Finally both the extruded samples and the pre extruded mixture must be tested. The tests will include mixing (to test viscosity) tensile tests, Impact tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and density tests. These results will be compared side by side with fly ash free PVC for analysis of their feasibility. Feasibility will be judged based on process ability, performance, and recyclability.
The effects of Fly ash on the mechanical properties of recycled PVC
Union Wisconsin Room
Fly ash is a by-product of coal combustion power generation. For the past thirty years it has been used as a filler in concrete manufacturing. The issue is that the amount produced far outweighs the demand. This study will be looking at the viability of adding varying amounts of fly ash to poly vinyl chloride (PVC) for use in construction material such as decking board. Coal power plants often pay large sums to companies for disposal of their excess fly ash. This means that fly ash can be acquired at low cost and could drastically reduce the cost of PVC. If the study shows that the addition of fly ash can maintain at the very least the physical properties of the PVC product, it will have reduce the cost of the product along with finding an additional use for the fly ash waste stream. Samples must first be prepared and created via extrusion. Next, samples are ground to a powder to produce regrind that is then mixed with regrind free PVC to test the recyclability of the samples. Finally both the extruded samples and the pre extruded mixture must be tested. The tests will include mixing (to test viscosity) tensile tests, Impact tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and density tests. These results will be compared side by side with fly ash free PVC for analysis of their feasibility. Feasibility will be judged based on process ability, performance, and recyclability.
