EFFECT OF DATE SEED POWDER FILLER ON PROPERTIES OF HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE

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Department of Engineering

ABSTRACT
High-density polyethylene composites of date seed powder were prepared at filler loadings of 0 to 40wt%. The particle sizes of the date seed powder investigated were 72, 125, 150 and 180μm. Calcium carbonate was used as a reference filler. The high- density polyethylene composites were prepared in a two-roll mill machine and the resulting composites were extruded as sheets. Mechanical, thermal, morphological and physical properties of the composites were determined. Results showed outstanding mechanical performance with the date seed powder. Impact strength, increased from 0.65 to 1.35J/m, flexural strength increased from 28 to 31MPa, hardness property increased from 67 to 74 J/m, tensile strength increased from 10 to 18J/m, and the tensile modulus also increased. These properties increased with increase in filler loading and decreased as the filler particle size were increased. However, the elongation at break of the composites was observed to decrease from 250 to 180 with increase in filler loading and particle size. The elongation at break of calcium carbonate filled high-density polyethylene was almost zero, an indication of the more brittle nature of high-density polyethylene composite of calcium carbonate. The water absorption test showed that the composite with the smallest particle size of 72μm had the lowest water absorption value while the biggest particle size of 180μm had the highest. The thermal gravimetric analysis showed an improvement in thermal stability of the high-density polyethylene/date seed powder composite due to incorporation of the date seed powder filler.