Abstract
This study investigates the feasibility of creating a clay polymer-based composite using cowpea husk (CPH) as filler for production of roof tiles. Polymeric composites were fabricated by mixing unsaturated polyester (UPT) resin with cowpea husk at different filler weights and curing. A hybrid composite was produced with the addition of 3 wt.% clay and all samples produced were subjected to flexural, hardness and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests. The effect of clay addition on the mechanical and thermo-mechanical behaviour of formulated composites was investigated. The morphological analysis of the mono and hybrid system shows a rough and coarse inhomogeneous surface with voids created due to the addition of CPH filler for the mono reinforced and clay uniformly filling the voids that were created by the CPH in the hybrid composite. It is observed that hardness, tensile modulus and flexural modulus of hybrid composites increase with an increase in the CPH contents, while the strength and flexural strength all decrease with filler content. The optimal composition was obtained using Grey relational analysis (GRA) at 18% CPH for both mono and hybrid composite. The results imply that the composite combination can be used in making rooftiles and/or also in applications where low strength is required.
Highlights
The availability of affordable and functional housing is one of the basic human needs that is vital to the wellbeing of every human
The real estate sector plays an important role in developing economies, such as Nigeria, by creating jobs especially for unskilled labour [6] and accounting for 6.36 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019 [2]
Clay was obtained from Galadimawa area in Federal Capital Territory; Abuja, Nigeria with a Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of 9◦4 0.0012” N and 7◦28 59.9988” E at 491 m above sea level
Summary
The availability of affordable and functional housing is one of the basic human needs that is vital to the wellbeing of every human. Even though housing is a necessity, its provision has been grossly inadequate especially in developing countries such as Nigeria [1]. According to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the housing deficit in Nigeria is estimated to be between 17 to 20 million units [2], far ahead of other African countries, such as Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia, which have shortages of 2, 2.5 and 1.2 million units, respectively [3]. The real estate sector plays an important role in developing economies, such as Nigeria, by creating jobs especially for unskilled labour [6] and accounting for 6.36 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019 [2]
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