Physico-Mechanical Characterization of Plastic (Polyester) Reinforce With Palm Kernel Shell

Abstract

The main objective of this research paper is to contribute to the characterization of a composite material with a polymer matrix reinforced with a palm kernel shell fiber for its application in the naval or aeronautic industry. To achieve this objective, it first opted for the fabrication of this composite by molding with different grain sizes (0.5 mm and 1.25 mm) and at different percentages of sand and PVC with the following proportions: (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%), then subjected the sample pieces to physical and mechanical testing such as (three-point bendings, resilience and compression tests). The physical characterization allows us to obtain an experimental volumetric mass for the 0.5 mm sample varying between 1.72 and 1.59 kg/m3 and for the sample 1.25 mm, varying between 1.66 and 1.61 kg/m3 that is the more the percentage of palm kernel powder increases, the lighter our material becomes. The mechanical characterization shows a Young’s modulus in bending varying between 3199.06 and 3236.16 MPa for the 0.5 mm and from 31,881.87 to 3244.03MPa for 1.25 mm that is the palm kernel powder and grain size make the material more rigid, normal stress due to compression varying between 32.05 and 56.41 MPa for 0.5 mm and from 44.8246 to 62.028 MPa for 1.25 mm. A resilience test varies between 0.61 and 2.00 J/cm2 for 0.5 mm and from 0.94 to 2.39 J/cm2 for 1.25 mm that is the more the percentage of palm kernel shell and particle size, the more the material becomes more resilient.