The Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Gypsum Board Manufactured from Water Hyacinth and Coconut Fiber

Abstract

This article's purpose was to investigate the mechanical properties and morphological characteristics of gypsum boards. At dosages of 50:100, 75:75, and 100:50 by mass, gypsum plaster (GP) Type 1 was substituted with coconut fiber (CF) and water hyacinth fiber (WHF). While the mechanical qualities of the gypsum board were standard on the TIS 219-2552, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to notice their morphological characteristics. The ASTM C518 standard was used to measure the thermal conductivity (k). Referring to test results, the morphological characteristics of the GP incorporating CF and WHF showed rather roughness, clearly separated both fibers from the plaster surface. Gypsum board voids were reduced compared to WHF. As the void size increased, the thermal conductivity of gypsum boards combined with CF and WHF tended to decrease. Eventually, the bending forces (FL) and water absorption (AW) of the gypsum board with CF mixed WHF were found to be deficient for compliancy with the TIS 219-2552 standard.