Abstract
This study presents the appraisal of indentation hardness and flexural modulus of composites prepared by mixing particles of palm kernel shell (PKS), coconut shell (CNS) and mixtures of palm kernel-coconut shell (MPKCNS) of different sizes (35.5 μm, 75 μm and 106 μm) with epoxy and hardener for various applications. The Rockwell hardness tester results showed that PKS particles epoxy filled composites of 35.5 μm had the highest hardness number of 77 while the MPKCNS particles epoxy filled composites of 106 μm had the least hardness number of 43. The CNS particles epoxy filled composites of 35.5 μm and 75 μm had relatively higher flex moduli of 428.66 MPa and 425.55 MPa respectively. The particle size of 106 μm had relatively higher flexure extension than 35.5 μm and 75 μm. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis revealed proper adhesion of the shell particles and epoxy resins with little or no pores in the composites. The PKS particles epoxy filled composites of 35.5 μm can be employed to enhance the mechanical properties of the composites for engineering applications.
Highlights
In recent years, many studies have been dedicated to utilize lignocellulose fillers such as coconut shell, wood, pineapple leaf, palm kernel shell, etc. as fillers in order to replace synthetic fillers through utilization of natural fillers or reinforcement in thermoplastic and thermoset polymer composites in an attempt to minimize the cost, increase productivity and enhance mechanical properties of product
The palm kernel shells and coconut shells were obtained from Akure farm, Ondo State and pulverized into different particle sizes (35.5 μm, 75 μm and 106 μm) respectively with the grounding machine and sieve
The results showed that palm kernel shell (PKS) particles epoxy filled composites of 35.5 μm had the relatively highest hardness number while the particle size of 106 μm had relatively higher flexure extension than 35.5 μm and 75 μm
Summary
Many studies have been dedicated to utilize lignocellulose fillers such as coconut shell, wood, pineapple leaf, palm kernel shell, etc. as fillers in order to replace synthetic fillers through utilization of natural fillers or reinforcement in thermoplastic and thermoset polymer composites in an attempt to minimize the cost, increase productivity and enhance mechanical properties of product. As fillers in order to replace synthetic fillers through utilization of natural fillers or reinforcement in thermoplastic and thermoset polymer composites in an attempt to minimize the cost, increase productivity and enhance mechanical properties of product. It has been used for different applications[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Due to growing environmental awareness, agro-fillers (agro-based waste) have been increasingly used as reinforcing fillers in thermoplastic composite materials[17]
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