Abstract:

Composites of recycled PET (rPET) filled with glass fiber (GF) were prepared via melt mixing. The mechanical properties of the rPET/GF composites were studied through various models including Halpin-Tsai, Krenchel-COX, and Kelly-Tyson equations, aiming at exploring the relations between the short-term and long-term structures of GF and the properties of composites. It showed that the filled GF had evident reinforcing and toughening effects on the rPET. When the GF loading was 30 wt %, the toughness, tensile and bending strengths increased by about 245%, 113%, and 84%, respectively. The aspect ratio and the orientation of GF constituted two important structural parameters vital to the final properties of composites. The Halpin-Tsai equation could be well used to describe aspect ratio of GF. The orientation factor of GF obtained from Kelly-Tyson equation was closer to the experimental value than that from Krenchel-COX equation.

Key words: recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate), glass fibre, mechanical properties, aspect ratio, orientation level