The Effect of Heating and Re-Molding on the Torsion of Thermoplastic Polymer
Polymers are a versatile material because of their strength and durability. Most polymers are thrown away after being used. This plastic buildup is devastating to the environment, and attempts must be made to increase the number of times plastic is recycled. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of recycling on the torsion of thermoplastic polymer through the breaking and reforming of polymer bonds. To test this, plastic pellets were melted into 30 pieces of plastic, each weighing about 27 g. These plastic strips held up a bucket of sand weighing 2244 g and the bend angle from the horizontal-axis was measured. The plastic sheets were then cut up and remelted to simulate recycling. The bend angles of the sheets before and after recycling were recorded and a matched pairs t test was performed to analyze the mean bend angles of the data. During the analysis, a p-value of 0.565 was found. This value was larger than the alpha level of 0.05 meaning there was no evidence that the bend angle of plastic was affected by recycling. If the experiment was repeated this result would happen 56.5% of the time by chance alone. The results of the analysis conclude that recycling had no effect on the torsion of plastic.
Research Conducted By:
Nicole Drylie
Cousino High School
Aleksandra Gryko
Cousino High School
Warren Consolidated Schools