Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Environmental Engineering
Session: 3
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Abib Hooker - Saint Augustine's University
Co-Author(s): Curtis Covelli, Iowa State University, Ames Iowa
Vibration welding is a type of welding that uses frictional work to fuse two pieces of plastic together using pressure. Plastics are common in the automotive industry to replace heavy expensive metals. The most commonly used is glass-filled PP (Polypropylene). Materials used in this study were PLA (Polylactic Acid) and PBS (Polybutylene), PP, and rPP (recycled Polypropylene). PP was mixed with 20% AF (Agave Fiber) to make a biocomposite. PLA/PBS were mixed with AF to make a bio-composite which is biodegradable/compostable. In this research there were five formulations, rPP, PLA/PBS, PP, PP/AF, PLA/PBS/AF. An experimental factorial design with three different pressures, four different weld times, and four amplitudes was used. The formulations were extruded to have the same thermal histories. The plastic was then pelletized and placed in an oven to dry. To keep the same thermal histories the balance of the pellets that were not used were then extruded again. The first and second formulations were then chopped into pellets and then placed to dry. After drying for a period of time the pellets were then injection molded into dog bone samples. These samples were then cut in half and then vibration welded. The welded samples were then tensile tested to measure the maximum strength of the samples which ranged between 5-15 Mpa (Megapascals). The purpose of this research is to find the optimized weld parameters for maximum weld strength of bioplastic formulations. The concluding results show the lower pressure conditions produced a better weld.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): National Science foundation: Grant Number 1559812
Faculty Advisor: David Grewell, david.grewell@ndsu.edu
Role: In this research my contributions were half the formulations, mixing the plastics, making the dog bone samples, and tensile testing the samples.