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EULER-LAGRANGE NUMERICAL MODELLING FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE SUITABILITY OF INJECTION MOULDS FOR RECYCLED PLASTICS USED IN STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
Abstract
To increase the adoption of recycled plastics in the construction industry and to make this material economically viable, it is of outmost importance to develop technological processes that can make contaminated or dirty plastics useful. This study applies an Euler-Lagrange numerical approach to evaluate the suitability of injection moulds for optimized structural elements made from contaminated recycled polyethylene and to check if the mould shapes are compatible with a normal injection technological process. The viscosity of the material is strongly related to the injection temperature, and as such, a temperature dependent formulation was considered in the numerical model. Furthermore, by simulating the injection moulding process with varying levels of contamination and temperature gradients, researchers can eventually establish a database of material properties and predict the structural performance of the final products using machine-learning methods. This data-driven approach is crucial for establishing quality control measures and building confidence in the use of recycled polyethylene for load-bearing applications. This type of modelling will enable designers to account for structural defects in the material due to the injection process and the nature of the contaminates present in the recycled polyethylene. Also, modelling the process in this manner may allow for developing new topological optimization rules and objective functions aimed at enhancing the performance of recycled polyethylene components, ultimately driving more sustainable practices in the construction industry.
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