Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
The front cover of Motorola cellular phone housings were ground to the same size as original particles prior to use by a knife mill. The mixtures contained 15.2 wt% metals, 1.9 wt% foams, 1.4 wt% rubbers and 81.4 wt% thermoplastics where the major component was a polycarbonate (PC)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) blend. The separation of the thermoplastic scraps was performed using the sink-float process in water and salt solution. The impact modification of all housing containing six thermoplastic parts was carried out by the addition of a polyolefin elastomer called as the functionalized polyethylene (PE). Unprinted glass fiber reinforced epoxy circuit boards were size reduced and pulverized using the knife mill and hammer mill. The ground epoxy circuit boards were then classified with a set of testing sieves using Gyro sifter, and their mean diameters were calculated by means of particle size distribution analysis. Izod impact strengths at two temperatures, tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the fracture surfaces, and dynamic mechanical spectroscopy were performed to characterize the alloys and mixtures compounded by a batch mixer and a twin screw extruder.