Development Of Hdpe Composites With Improved Mechanical Properties Using Calcium Carbonate And Nanoclay*

High density polyethylene (HDPE) binary and ternary composites were developed reinforcing coated calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and NanoClay for various industrial applications. The fillers were melt blended with HDPE using Brabender mixer and sampled using compression molding. The effects of fillers on tensile strength, toughness, impact strength and hardness were analyzed and significant improvement was observed in both binary and ternary composites. The results showed that Young?s modulus was increased up to 22.5% for the ternary Nanocomposite. The addition of CaCO3 showed significant improvement in mechanical results as compared to ternary composite. The increase of around 27.7% in tensile strength, 118% in toughness, 55.4% in impact strength and 15% increase in hardness was observed, while ternary composite showed more promising result regarding stiffness. Theoretical models Guth and Halpin-Tsai were also used for the prediction of mechanical properties and it has been observed that the enhancement was achieved for both binary and ternary composites.