Design and Fabrication of Machine and Molder for Making Plastic-Sand Bricks/ Crispino, Jhon M. [and four others].

Thesis (Undergraduate)

College of Engineering-- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Technological University of the Philippines, 2022.

The study focused on the design and fabrication of a machine and Molder for Making Plastic-Sand Bricks capable of melting, mixing, extruding, and molding plastic and sand mixture to produce plastic-sand bricks. It has the principal objective of providing an alternative to conventional bricks by using plastic and sand. Two prototypes, the melting and mixing machine, and the three (3) sets of molders were created to meet the said objectives.
The main tank is capable of melting and mixing 18 kgs of plastic and sand mixture each batch of operation, which often lasts from one hour to one and a half-hour of operation. The agitating system has a constant speed of 30 rpm and is run by a one (1) hp motor connected to the anchor impeller.
The machine relies on LPG based heating system with the use of a three-layered nine inch burner. Insulations are strictly considered in building the whole assembly as it resolves some of the major issues, including containing heat in the drum and preventing too much heat from reaching the motor.
The plastic-sand bricks produced were tested to determine the compressive strength and the water absorption percentage. The considered ratios were 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1, respectively. Control samples were introduced for better comparison, which is 7-day cured cement bricks. All the specimens were tested at three (3) trials. The results of the tests revealed that the plastic to sand ratio of 1:1 yields the highest compressive strength of 14.05 MPa and the lowest water absorption of 0.4802%. This will serve as the basis for the machine input. Author's Abstract