Abstract
The use of natural fibres either as reinforcement in polymer composites or as stand-alone material in engineering and construction is continuously gaining more attention. This study assesses some basic engineering properties of fibres extracted from thaumatococcus daniellii plant using topbond and evo-stik as adhesives. A total of 340 individual samples were weaved into sizes of 15 cm by 15 cm and glued together to a thickness of 2.5 cm from two fibre types of different texture and structure derived from thaumatococcus daniellii plant. Some of the samples were selected for alkali and acetylation treatments to improve their strength and were thereafter subjected to basic engineering tests such as water absorption, flexural strength, fire resistance and tensile strength tests. The test results show that the average water absorption rate of the treated materials glued with topbond for Material A possesses a lower percentage of 19.61% than 51.41% for treated materials glued with topbond for Material B. Material with evo-stik as adhesives has an extremely high water absorbing capacity. The average flexural strength of 103.50 Mpa for treated and topbond glued Material A is higher than 73.07 Mpa for treated Material B and other untreated materials. Material A exhibits better fire resistance property than Material B, as it takes the latter longer time for ignition to occur during the test. Although, Material B give higher tensile strength values than Material A but with insignificant difference. The comparison between the two materials given due consideration to the adhesives used shows some correlation in their properties. However, Material A gives more satisfactory results than Material B hence making it the best choice of material from the two fibres extracted from the plant.
Highlights
In recent times, there has been an increasing interest in the use of natural fibres as reinforcing components in fibre reinforced polymeric materials due to their enormous properties such as renewability, biodegradability, low density, low cost and environmentally friendliness [1]
The thaumatococcus danielli plant was acquired from local mat weavers in Ogotun Ekiti, Nigeria while the two adhesives used were procured at a local market in Akure, Nigeria
The topbond adhesive was observed to possess good bonding strength than Evo-Stik adhesive under loading and this property of topbond adhesive may be attributed to its good viscosity which was lacking in Evo-Stik adhesive
Summary
There has been an increasing interest in the use of natural fibres as reinforcing components in fibre reinforced polymeric materials due to their enormous properties such as renewability, biodegradability, low density, low cost and environmentally friendliness [1]. The usage of fibres as reinforcement or as the main material in the construction industry is not a novel concept as it were. It has been used since ancient times. Natural fibres obtained from plants having physical and mechanical characteristics have great potentials in the development of engineering material. These fibres are available in large quantity and are cheap. The combination of interesting mechanical and physical properties, together with their environmentally friendly character has motivated a number
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