Development of Hybrid Composite for Floor Tiles Application Using Virgin High Density Polythylene (Hdpe)/Glass Cullet Perticles/Waste Grinding Disc Particles.

This research outlines the creation of a hybrid composite for floor tiles. It uses virgin high-density polyethylene (vHDPE), glass cullet particles (GCP), and waste grinding disc (WGD) particles. This approach offers a sustainable alternative to traditional ceramic and cement-based floor tiles. Those conventional tiles are often brittle, require a lot of energy to produce, are heavy, and can crack easily under pressure. The growing amount of glass cullet, and waste grinding discs creates serious environmental issues hence it is important to develop recycling methods that add value.

The study aimed to: (i) formulate and optimize HDPE/GCP/WGD hybrid composites for floor tile use, (ii) assess their mechanical and physical properties, (iii) find the best filler combination using design of experiment (DOE) and response surface methodology, and (iv) confirm the optimized formulation. Also, two-factor experimental design was employed with GCP (5-15%) and WGD (5-20%) as independent variables. Composite samples were prepared by melt blending and compression moulding, while the tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness, moisture content, density, and thickness swelling were measured. Furthermore, optimization using desirability function analysis predicted the optimal composition to be around 12.31 - 12.33% GCP and 13.82 - 13.97% WGD with a composite desirability of 0.809. The optimal solution identified by selecting the optimal solution (12.312% GGC and 13.965% WGD) predicted tensile strength of 12.07 MPa, flexural strength of 48.57 MPa, hardness of 62.90 BHN, thickness swelling of 0.051 mm, and density of 1.411 g/cm³.

Validation experiments were found to be in close agreement with the predicted values, and the values obtained were tensile strength of 11.94 - 12.60 MPa, flexural strength of 46.2 - 48.6 MPa, hardness of 59.64 - 61.62 BHN, thickness swelling of 0.50 - 0.53 mm, and density of 1.40 - 1.45 g/cm³. The findings shows that the addition of glass cullet improved the stiffness and flexural strength, while the addition of waste grinding disc particles improved the hardness. It is worth to say that the hybrid composite had low moisture absorption, moderate density, improved hardness, and reduced thickness swelling. It can be concluded that the combination of vHDPE, GCP, and WGD creates a mechanically stable, lightweight, and moisture-resistant composite floor tile with good structural properties. Recommendations for further research are made in the areas of wear resistance, thermal stability, slip resistance, and the feasibility of large-scale production. Surface texturing and fire-retardant improvement are also recommended for commercial development. The significance of this research work lies in its ability to: (i) identify an optimal formulation of HDPE/GCP/WGD hybrid for floor tile use, (ii) prove the synergistic reinforcement provided by glass cullet and waste grinding disc particles in a thermoplastic matrix, (iii) develop a predictive statistical model, and (iv) offer a sustainable waste-to-wealth approach to plastic, glass, and abrasive disc waste.