Page 47 - eBook_Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Manufacturing V1

Mechanical Performance and Structural Feasibility of Recycled HDPE in
Furniture Design: Experimental and Finite Element Analysis

When subjected to an increased load (100 kg), the maximum
stress increased proportionately to 5.26 MPa, but remained
significantly lower than the HDPE’s ultimate tensile capacity.
This observation aligns with other recent research, which has
demonstrated that carefully optimised recycled polymers can
perform effectively under significantly higher loading conditions,
enhancing their suitability for load-bearing applications (Kansal,
Alzubaidi & Das, 2024; Vidakis, Petousis, Maniadi & Kechagias,
2021).

Displacement Analysis

The displacement values further affirmed the structural suitability
of the stool. Under typical loading (68.4 kg), the stool experienced
minimal displacement of 1.24 mm. Even at elevated loading
conditions (100 kg), displacement values remained minimal at
1.77 mm. These displacement results imply acceptable structural
rigidity, thus maintaining ergonomic comfort and user safety. This
negligible deformation is consistent with findings from (Bolong,
Saad, Asman, Heng & Roslan, 2024), who reported minimal
deformation in structurally optimised furniture applications
incorporating recycled polymers.

The experimental displacement data from tensile tests
(maximum elongation at 8.83 mm for optimal HDPE samples
prepared at 150°C) provides additional assurance, confirming the
robustness and flexibility of the material significantly beyond the
predicted operational displacement ranges derived from FEA.

Comparative Evaluation with Experimental Findings

The integrated analysis—comprising of experimental tensile
testing and computational simulation—provides strong validation
of the finite element model. This study’s findings resonate with
recent research, highlighting the necessity of coupling
experimental data with computational predictions to enhance
reliability and robustness of recycled polymer structures (Wang,
Liu & Zhang, 2018; Sharif & Aslam, 2023).

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