Effect of particle sizes on the mechanical behaviour of limestone-reinforced hybrid plastics

The present research has been made to investigate the characteristics of a new composite material made up of limestone as particle reinforcement. New composites are made by taking limestone particles in five different sizes and jute as woven reinforcement in polypropylene matrix. Mechanical characteristics of the composites that include strengths against tension, compression, flexural, impact and hardness are evaluated and a comparative investigation is made among the composites. The effect of particle size on the properties is analysed and found that the composite with medium particle size bears the highest strength in all aspects. In addition, microscopic image analysis is carried out to investigate the distribution of particles, bonding capacity and other morphologies. The results showed that limestone will be apt particle reinforcement and its presence enhances all the characteristics of the composite.