Enhancing Mechanical and Physical Properties of Epoxy/Polysulfide Rubber Composites Reinforced with Bronze Machining Waste

This paper discusses recycling bronze machining chips into fine powder and then using them as reinforcements in epoxy-polysulfide rubber (PSR) composites. Composites have been prepared when epoxy resin was mixed first with 5–10 wt.% polysulfide rubber and then with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% of bronze powder. The mixture that has been obtained was then stirred with a mechanical stirring. Mechanical and physical, such as impact toughness and compressive strength, hardness, wear resistance, density and flexural strength, were examined. It was found that PSR 10 wt.% enhanced impact resistance (12.7 kJ /m2), and bronze 15 wt.% maximized compressive strength (101.5 Mpa), hardness (Shore D 87), and flexural strength (130 Mpa). The maximum density (1.3577/cm3) and minimum wear rate (9 × 10⁻¹⁰ g/cm³) were also measured at 15-20 wt.% bronze. In addition to the optimum filler content, agglomeration lowered the interfacial bonding and mechanical performance. The results show the promise of using recycled bronze waste into polymer composites to improve the mechanical properties, as well as sustainability and circular economy practices.