Research Article | OPEN ACCESS
The Mechanical Properties of Castor Seed Shell-polyester Matrix Composites
1S.C. Nwigbo, 1T.C. Okafor and 2C.U. Atuanya
1Mechanical Engineering Department
2Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology 2013 11:3159-3164
Received: September 30, 2012 | Accepted: November 26, 2012 | Published: April 05, 2013
Abstract
A composite with a polyester matrix reinforced with chemically modified shells of castor seed (Ricinus communis) was produced. The effect of the shell (filler) on the mechanical properties of the composite was experimentally quantified. A preliminary study was earlier carried out the shell in terms of their chemical constituents, functional group and mechanical strength. The shell was ground and chemically treated to enhance good bonding and adhesion to the matrix. Composites were fabricated using a hand lay-up or contact mould method for different percentage compositions of the filler. Tests, with respect to the mechanical properties (i.e., tensile, flexural and creep response) were carried out. The result obtained was compared with the unreinforced polyester plate. It was observed that the inclusion of the filler (shell) added strength to the composite. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was taken on the composite samples to study the morphology of the composites.
Keywords:
Creep, filler, mechanical strength, polyester, ricinus cumminus,
Competing interests
The authors have no competing interests.
Open Access Policy
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Copyright
The authors have no competing interests.
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ISSN (Online): 2040-7467
ISSN (Print): 2040-7459 |
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