Effect of material parameters on the mechanical properties of chemically treated red mud HDPE composites

Abstract

The use of unreinforced polymer composites is growing rapidly in the construction industry, partly to address concerns relating to cost and waste, and partly to provide substitute materials that will resist degradation and attacks by rodents and insects. Hence, this study explores the possibility of combining polymer with locally available red mud. Red mud/polymer composites were prepared using an injection moulding machine. The production of the specimens was undertaken based on red mud/polymer mass ratio, particle size, and alkalinity. The results of the tensile tests showed increases in both the modulus of elasticity and tensile strength, with increasing red mud loading up to 10 wt.% red mud content. The maximum tensile strength obtained corresponds to specimens containing smaller particle sizes and higher pH. The results suggest that red mud/ polymer composites have the potential to be used in the construction industry.

New Polymer Composites Made of Recycled Polystyrene with Red Mud and Wind Blade Waste: An Industrial Ecology Case

“…This result means that the maximum stress to break these composites and the polymer when they are being pulled is statistically the same. However, two composites (with 10% and 15% of red mud) have lower tensile strength values than the polymer, similar to the findings for other polymer composites reinforced with usually high concentrations of red mud [7,33,34]. This behaviour is attributed to the formation of a significant number of red mud particle aggregates, contributing to the appearance of regions with voids and stress concentration, which reduce the tensile strength and elongation at break [33,34].…”