Assessing the Viability of Allegheny Mineral’s Entry into the Thermoplastic Filler Market​

2024 PLET

The objective of this project is to determine whether it is feasible to use Allegheny Mineral’s calcium carbonate as a thermoplastic filler by evaluating the mechanical and thermal properties in comparison to market standard compounds within the thermoplastic market and offering recommendations to Allegheny Mineral for widening their market opportunities.

Team Members

Zachary Potter | Greg Simon | Laekynn Proctor | |

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Project Summary

Overview

The project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Allegheny Mineral’s unrefined and refined calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as a filler in thermoplastic applications, comparing its performance against the industry standard Vicron 41-8 CaCO3. This assessment helps determine whether Allegheny Mineral should adjust their product’s particle size for enhanced market competitiveness.

Objectives

  1. Compare Mechanical Properties: Measure the tensile, flexural, and impact strength of thermoplastic compounds containing varying concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%) of refined and unrefined Allegheny Mineral CaCO3.
  2. Statistical Analysis: Use t-tests to statistically compare the performance of Allegheny Mineral’s CaCO3 against Vicron 41-8.
  3. Evaluate Market Viability: Determine if refining the particle size of Allegheny Mineral’s CaCO3 brings it within 12.5% of the performance characteristics of Vicron 41-8, assessing its suitability for the thermoplastic filler market.

Approach

  1. Material Preparation: Compound polyethylene with refined and unrefined Allegheny CaCO3 and Vicron 41-8 at various loading levels.
  2. Testing and Data Collection: Conduct mechanical tests (tensile, flexural, impact) and thermal analysis (DSC, TGA) to gather comparative data.
  3. Analysis and Documentation: Perform statistical analysis to evaluate the hypothesis and document findings in a comprehensive report.

Outcomes

  1. Findings on Mechanical Properties: The unrefined Allegheny Mineral CaCO3 closely matched or exceeded the Vicron 41-8 in mechanical tests, whereas the refined version generally underperformed except at higher loading levels.
  2. Market Entry Recommendation: Based on the comparative performance, recommend that Allegheny Mineral enters the thermoplastic filler market with their unrefined CaCO3, as it offers competitive or superior properties without the need for additional refining.
  3. Future Research Directions: Suggest further studies on the impact of particle shape and size distribution on mechanical properties to optimize filler performance.