This research aims to give a full perception and overview about one of the thermoplastic polymers " Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) ' by making a survey of its most important characteristics, properties and uses, in addition to recycling and reinforcing it by a modifying and reinforcing filler (E-glass fiber) to improve its mechanical properties ( ultimate strength, tensile modulus and ductility).
Wastes of two types of EPS (food packaging and isolation) were collected ,cleaned and converted into sheets. A part of the collected EPS with both types was recycled and reinforced with E-glass fibers so that a matrix of EPS was filled once with short glass fibers with different percentages and fiber lengths, and once with a woven mat glass fibers and recycled at different temperatures. Another part of the collected EPS was recycled by dissolving it with a suitable solvent (acetone) and reinforced by mat E-glass fiber to maintain the highest homogeneity between fibers and the matrix and enhance compatibility .
Tensile test was performed to compare the mecanical properties of the recycled-reinforced samples with virgin ones for the both types of EPS.
İn general, the tensile properties were improved for both types of EPS and it was found that it is better to reinforce the recycled isolation EPS with mat E-glass fiber and to process it with solvent which gives a maximum value of strength and tensile modulus (43, 3906) MPa greater than the maximum values of these properties of the food packaging at the same temperatures.On the other hand it was found that it is better to to reinforce the recycled food packaging EPS using varying length and content of short E-glass fiber where the maximum values of strength and tensile modulus at 30 mm fiber length and 25% fiber content were greater than those maximum values of isolation EPS at the same temperatures and were (12, 1421) Mpa, respectively.