EVALUATING MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF CONSTRUCTION EPOXY/TIRE PYROLYTIC POWDER COMPOSITE

In line with global sustainability objectives, the incorporation of manufacturing byproducts into various materials to develop composite materials not only aims to enhance performance and reduce the costs of raw materials, but also promotes environmental responsibility in manufacturing processes. This investigation used different weight fractions (0, 1, 2, 3 and 5) % of micro-sized tire pyrolytic powder (TPP) for reinforcing a particular epoxy resin designed for construction purposes. Using the hand lay-up technique, composite specimens were fabricated and examined to evaluate the influence of TPP as a reinforcing phase on the thermal and mechanical characteristics of the epoxy. Particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed to characterize TPP. Furthermore, tests such as Shore D hardness, tensile strength, three-point bending strength, impact strength, and thermal conductivity were conducted to assess enhancements in the composite’s performance. The test results show that the mean particle size of TPP was 1.27 µm, with a narrow size variation of 0.005 µm. EDX and FTIR tests show that TPP consists of a wide variety of metal oxides added to carbon black. The findings also demonstrate significant improvements in tensile and flexural strength, by roughly 87.5 % and 72.2 %, respectively, compared with non-reinforced specimens, with the optimal performance at 3 w/% TPP. Beyond this TPP concentration, the strength began to decline. The hardness, impact strength and thermal conductivity were found to increase markedly at 5 w/% TPP, by approximately (14.8, 350 and 86.5) %, respectively.