EVALUATION OF THERMAL AND MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF

HDPE/MOLLUSK SHELL COMPOSITES PREPARED IN SINGLE SCREW

EXTRUDER


Patrcia Maria Alves de Melo,
Lucineide Balbino Silva, lucineide@ct.ufpb.br
Amlia S. F. Santos , ameliasfsantos@yahoo.com.br
Tibrio A. Passos, professor.tiberio@gmail.com
Severino J. G. Lima jackson@lsr.ct.ufpb.br
Federal University of Paraiba,
Paraiba, Brazil.

Marcelo M. Ueki, mm_ueki@yahoo.com.br
Federal University of Sergipe,
Brazil.



Abstract

Economical activities of molluscs (Anomalocardia brasiliana
main waste, impacting environment.
applications for waste of calcareous mollusc
the influence of mollusc shell filler
(HDPE) composite is discussed. For sake of comparison
compositions (5 and 8%wt of milled
temperature range 180C (zone 1) to
were submitted to Thermal analyses (
scenario for application of calcareous
cristalinity and stiffeness of HDPE were increased, even under low concentrations of filler.
of tensile stress and strain of HDPE did not sensitively increased by filler addition.

Key-words: Mollusc Shell, Properties mechanical and thermal, HDPE.


Introduction
Sustainable development is "development that
ability of future generations to meet their
sustainable development implies in maintaining
to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a
as the interest for the utilization and recycling
of Paraiba, the activity of pickering
represents the livelihood of communities
environmental impact related to the
(Brazilian Institute of Environment and
an adjustment in the disposal of these shells
shells are generated annually, which may
Based on previous studies, it was proven that
of oysters and mussels [4], as well as

22nd International Congress of Mechanical Engineering (COBEM 2013)
November 3-7, 2013, Ribeiro Preto, SP, Brazil
Copyright 2013 by ABCM

EVALUATION OF THERMAL AND MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF
HDPE/MOLLUSK SHELL COMPOSITES PREPARED IN SINGLE SCREW
, paty.melo@hotmail.com
lucineide@ct.ufpb.br
ameliasfsantos@yahoo.com.br
professor.tiberio@gmail.com
@lsr.ct.ufpb.br
Paraiba, Programa de Ps-Graduao em Cincia e Engenharia de M
mm_ueki@yahoo.com.br
Programa de Ps-Graduao em Cincia e Engenharia de M
Anomalocardia brasiliana and Tivela mactroides) produce
A possible mitigation scenario for this problem is to develop potential
mollusc shell, for example, as polymer filler reinforcement
filler in thermal and mechanical properties of High Density
For sake of comparison, a pure polymer and composites made
of milled mollusc shell) were processed in a single-screw extruder
to 210C (zone 5) and rotational speed of 50rpm. Composite specimen
analyses (DSC and DTA) and tensile test as well. Results suggest an encouraging
scenario for application of calcareous mollusc shell as a filler reinforcement of HDPE, so that
were increased, even under low concentrations of filler.
of HDPE did not sensitively increased by filler addition.
Shell, Properties mechanical and thermal, HDPE.
"development that meets the needs of the present without
meet their own needs". Irrespective of meeting the basic needs
maintaining the systems supports of natural life on Earth
aspirations for a better life [1, 2]. Every day this concern
and recycling of different types of waste. With increased tourism
shellfish has grown in recent years. Obtaining these
of communities of shellfish pickers. But collecting these mollus
inappropriate disposal of shells. Faced with this situation, the
of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) has suggested studies
of these shells [3]. In Korea, for example, about 300 thousand
may be a great source of unpleasant odor [4].
it was proven that there is a high content of calcium carbonate in
as well as in the mollusc shells. It was performed a chemical analysis of mollus
22nd International Congress of Mechanical Engineering (COBEM 2013)
7, 2013, Ribeiro Preto, SP, Brazil
Copyright 2013 by ABCM
EVALUATION OF THERMAL AND MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF
HDPE/MOLLUSK SHELL COMPOSITES PREPARED IN SINGLE SCREW
Engenharia de Materiais, Joo Pessoa,
Engenharia de Materiais, Aracaju, Sergipe,
) produce mollusc shell as
A possible mitigation scenario for this problem is to develop potential
filler reinforcement. In this work
in thermal and mechanical properties of High Density Polyethylene
made with different
screw extruder under
Composite specimens
Results suggest an encouraging
shell as a filler reinforcement of HDPE, so that both degree of
were increased, even under low concentrations of filler. Maximum values
of the present without compromising the
meeting the basic needs of all,
on Earth and in extending
this concern increases, as well
increased tourism on the coast
these bivalve molluscs
molluscs has caused
situation, the IBAMA
studies that contemplate
300 thousand tons of oyster
calcium carbonate in the shells
. It was performed a chemical analysis of molluscs
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shell powder and a content of about 97 % of calcium carbonate (CaCO
3
) was found. It has been observed that
the carbonates contribute with more than half of the consumption of fillers in polymers. The reasons for this
demand of calcium carbonate are low cost, non abrasiveness, non-toxicity and easy pigmentation due to be
white filler. There are two basic types of CaCO
3
, natural and synthetic (precipitated) [4, 5].
The addition of mineral fillers in thermoplastic polymers such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene
(PE) has been associated for a long time only with attempts to reduce the cost of the final polymeric products.
In recent years, however, these inorganic fillers, especially talc and calcium carbonate (CaCO
3
), have been
gaining ground in the study of composite materials once they enable optimizing some specific properties of
polymer matrices such as, hardness and dimensional stability [6, 7]. Fillers and fibers have been routinely used
in polymer matrices in order to reduce their cost and improve their mechanical, optical and thermal properties.
Fibers are notoriously able to reinforce polymer matrices, while fillers cannot contribute substantially as
reinforcement. However, fillers are more abundant and less expensive than fibers, which have motivated the
search for plastics reinforcement systems based on particulate materials [8].
The CaCO
3
is among the most widely filler used in polymeric composites. Among the thermoplastic
polymers stand out polyolefins, which represent about 65% of plastics produced in Brazil. The polyethylenes
correspond to 43% of polyolefins production, being high density polyethylene (HDPE) one of the most used
[6]. Specifically for HDPE, its use has excelled in different segments of the plastics processing industry,
covering the blow molding, extrusion and injection molding processes. Examples of HDPE injection molding
parts are: bowls, buckets, trays, infant bathtubs, toys, tupperware, toilet seats, lids, jars, crates, water boxes,
among others [6].
Considering HDPE one of the most versatile, easy processing and low cost thermoplastic in the market, it
is proposed in this paper to evaluate the influence of incorporation of mollusk shell powder in the mechanical,
morphological and thermal properties of HDPE. Mixtures of HDPE and shell powder at two concentrations (5
and 8 wt%) was processed into a single screw extruder and injection molded. The morphological, thermal and
mechanical characterizations were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning
calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG) and tensile test.

Materials and Methods

Materials

The materials used in this study were high density polyethylene (HDPE) supplied by Polyutil S.A. and the
mollusks shell powder provided by the Department of Civil Engineering, used as filler.

Preparation of mollusc shell

The shells were washed and dried at room temperature for 24 hours, then ground in a disk mill Marconi, model
MA 700, and passed through a 200 mesh sieve.

Composite Processing

Extrusion: The composite mixtures were processed in a single screw semi-industrial extruder of Lessa
Mquinas Ltda. The screw rotation speed was 50 rpm and the temperature profile was
180C/200C/200C/210C/210C.
Injection: The tests specimens were molded in a BATTENFELD HM45/210 injection molding machine. The
molding conditions were: injection speed, 75cm/s; holding pressure, 600bar; hold time, 15 s; and cooling time,
30 s. The temperature profile used was 170C/180C/190C/190C and the mold temperature was maintained
at 30 C. Before injection, the materials were dried in an air circulating oven for two hours at 60C.

Characterization

Scanning Electron Microscopy(MEV)

It was used a scanning electron microscope, ZEISS LEO 1430, to analyze the dispersion and interfacial
adhesion of mollusks shell powder in the HDPE matrix. The injected test specimens were fractured with liquid
nitrogen and coated with a thin layer of gold for analysis of the fracture surface. The images were obtained
with different magnifications, using an accelerating voltage of 15 kV electron beam.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)

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Thermograms were obtained from a Shimadzu DSC 60 calorimeter. Calibration was done with indium and
saphire in the temperature range of 0 to 350
o
C. The sample weight was approximately 6.0 to 6.4 mg. All
samples were first heated at 10
o
C.min
-1
to 200
o
C for 5 min to get rid of thermal history. Then, samples were
cooled to 30
o
C at 10
o
C.min
-1
and heated again to 200
o
C at the same rate, under nitrogen flow rate of 50
mL.min
-1
. The crystallization temperature (Tc) was determined in the cooling and melting temperature (Tm)
was determined on the second heating scan. Melting enthalpies were determined using constant integration
limits. The degree of crystallinity (Xc) was determined using the following equation:

X
c
(%) =
H
m
(1-w
]
).H
100%
(1)

Where: Hm is the melting enthalpy per unit weight of HDPE in the formulation, W
f
is the weight fraction of
mollusk shell powder in the formulation, and H
100%
denotes the enthalpy per unit weight of the 100%
crystalline HDPE, which is assumed to be 293 J.g
-1
[9, 10].

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)

The TGA weight loss curves were obtained in a Shimadzu DTG-60H Simultaneous DTA-TG apparatus. The
samples weighed from 10 to 11 mg and were heated from 30
o
C to 900
o
C at 10
o
C.min
-1
under 50 mL.min
-1
of
argon flow.

Mechanical Properties

Tensile tests: The tensile tests were carried out using a Shimadzu universal mechanical testing machine, model
AG-X 10KN, according to ASTM D 638. The test speed was 50 mm.min
-1
and it has been tested at least five
specimens for each formulation.

Results and Discussion

Table 1 presents the results of DSC analysis of neat HDPE and its composites with mollusks shell powder.
These results showed an increase relative to the neat polymer of 14% and 16% in the degree of crystallinity of
compositions with 5 and 8 wt% of mollusks shell, respectively. This behavior indicates a possible nucleating
effect of the mollusks shell powder. The melting and crystallization temperatures were scarcely changed with
the addition of the mollusks shell powder in HDPE.

Table 1 - Thermal properties of HDPE/mollusks shell powder composites at concentrations of 5 wt% (95/5)
and 8 wt% (92/8) and neat HDPE.

Composition Melting Enthalpy (J.g
-1
) Xc (%) Tc (C) Tm (C)
neat PEAD 129.72 44.3 102.8 130.9
95/5 162.63 58.4 101.2 131.1
92/8 162.47 60.3 101.2 131.4

From TGA weight loss curves shown in Figure 1, it is observed that there was no significant difference in
thermal stability between neat HDPE and HDPE composite with 5 wt% of mollusks shell powder, as the first
stage of mass loss, associated with HDPE matrix decomposition, starts and end at about 365 C and 498 C,
respectively. Although the HDPE composite with 8 wt% of mollusks shell powder presented a similar weight
loss profile, this composition showed a slight increase in thermal stability because the onset temperature of
HDPE decomposition was changed to 405 C. For composite formulations containing mollusks shell powder, it
was also observed a second stage of mass loss that begins at approximately 630 C. This thermal event is
probably associated with decarbonation reaction of CaCO
3
content in the mollusks shell powder [11].
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Figure 1. TGA weight loss curve of the HDPE/mollusks shell powder composites at concentrations of 5 wt%
(95/5) and 8 wt% (92/8) and neat HDPE.
Figure 2 shows the results of tensile strength of neat HDPE and its composites with mollusks shell powder. It
is observed that the tensile strength of the composites showed an optimal point with increasing the mollusks
shell powder content in the HDPE matrix. The maximum increment achieved in tensile strength was around
5.3% for the HDPE composite with 5 wt% of mollusks shell powder. The increment of tensile strength for the
HDPE composite with 8 wt% of mollusks shell powder was less than 2%. On the other hand, the elongation at
break of HDPE decreased with addition of the mollusks shell powder, leaving the material less ductile [6].
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
0
5
10
15
20
25

E
n
g
i
n
e
e
i
n
g

S
t
r
e
s
s
,

M
P
a
Engineeing Strain
neat HDPE
95/5
92/8

Figure 2. Representative stress-strain curve of the HDPE/mollusks shell powder composites at
concentrations of 5 wt% (95/5) and 8 wt% (92/8) and neat HDPE.
Figure 3 shows the values of modulus of elasticity, which increases with the increment in the filler
content in HDPE. This behavior corroborates with the increment in the crystallinity and decrease in the
elongation at break of the composites with the increased filler content in the polymer matrix, leaving the
material stiffer and less ductile than neat HDPE.
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
0
30
60
90
120


W
e
i
g
h
t
(
%
)
temperature(C)
92/8
95/5
neat HDPE
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neat HDPE 95/5 92/8
5
6
7
8



E
l
a
s
t
i
c
i
t
y

m
o
d
u
l
u
s
(
M
P
a
)

Figure 3. Results of modulus of elasticity of the HDPE/mollusks shell powder composites at concentrations of
5 wt% (95/5) and 8 wt% (92/8) and neat HDPE.
In the micrographs for the composition with 5 wt% of mollusks shell powder (Figure 4), it can be observed a
good dispersion of these particles in the HDPE matrix. However, the micrographs for the composition with 8
wt% of mollusks shell powder (Figure 5) showed the presence of agglomerates, which agrees with the smallest
increase in tensile strength observed for this composition.


Figure 4. SEM micrographs of HDPE composite with 5 wt% of mollusks shell powder, with different
magnifications.

Figure 5. SEM micrographs of HDPE composite with 8 wt% of mollusks shell powder, with different
magnifications.
In both compositions, it can be observed some mechanical anchoring between phases and also, voids at
filler/matrix interface, indicating a poor interfacial adhesion between the present phases. Thus, it suggests that
the observed improvement in the resistance of the composites is more associated to possible mechanical
anchoring and increased degree of crystallinity of the polymer matrix, than to the transfer of stresses between
phases.

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Conclusions
According to the results, it was observed that increasing the mollusks shell content in the polymer
matrix the degree of crystallinity increases, as well as the elastic modulus of the polymer, making it more rigid
and less ductile. For concentrations up to 5 wt%, the mollusks shell powder behaved as a reinforcing filler,
improving the mechanical strength of the polymer matrix and giving good characteristics to the final product.
The influence of the filler in the degree of crystallinity of polymer matrix is very expressive, revealing a
probable nucleating effect. Despite its morphology did not show a good interfacial adhesion between the
matrix and the filler, the addition of up to 8 wt% of mollusks shell powder did not compromise the mechanical
performance of the polymer.
Since the use of this kind of filler at concentration up to 8 wt% improves the rigidity and crystallinity
degree of neat HDPE, the use of mollusks shell powder in HDPE matrix may be a promising opportunity for
recycling these this seafood waste, and also for income generation to the pickering community of these shells.
In addition to also decrease the environmental impact generated by this residue in the coastal of Paraiba and
others states.

Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Laboratory of Rapid Solidification/CT/UFPB for thermal, mechanical and
morphological analysis, CNPq for the financial support given to Universal Project 476514/2010-0, CAPES for
the scholarship, and Ulisses Bezerra Targino and Polyutil S. A for supplying the mollusks shell and HDPE,
respectively.

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