The present study was to evaluate the effect of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particle sizes on the mechanical and physical properties of extruded fiber-cement composites with different particle sizes combined to cellulose pulp in the production of fiber cement by the extrusion process. The design consisted of four formulations, one composed of 5% cellulose and the other three with 2.5% cellulosic pulp and 2.5% of PET particles with different particle sizes. Physical, mechanical and microstructural tests were performed without aging cycles and after 200 and 400 accelerated aging cycles. The degradation of vegetable fibers in the cement and the decrease of properties with aging was observed. PET particles were more resistant in alkaline environment and did not degrade. However, particle size did not exert great effect in the physical and mechanical properties of the composite. Thus, the use of PET particles shows potential as a reinforcement for fiber-cement composites.
Keywords:
Composites; cellulose; accelerated aging; particle size; extrusion
