Investigation of water and heat response to the compression property of raffia, bamboo and coconut fiber-reinforced-polyester composites

Obi LE 1, *, Uwanugo RG 2 and Uchejiora M 2

1 Civil Engineering Department, Imo state University, Owerri, Nigeria.
2 Civil Engineering Department, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State, Nigeria.
 
Research Article
International Journal of Frontiers in Engineering and Technology Research, 2021, 01(01), 045–060.
Article DOI: 10.53294/ijfetr.2021.1.1.0045
Publication history: 
Received on 03 April 2021; revised on 05 May 2021; accepted on 07 May 2021
 
Abstract: 
The dearth of construction materials has been the bane of the global construction industry. In a bid to curb this menace, it becomes very imperative to source for construction materials from discarded and least costly materials from raffia, bamboo and coconut fibers. This research investigates the hydrothermal response of plant fiber-reinforced-polyester composites (PFRC). Imperical methods were used to determine the mechanical properties of PFRC (bamboo, raffia and coconut fiber composites), with the usage of Monasanto Tensometer testing machine. All the samples were chemically modified with 12.5g of sodium hydroxide. Numerical and micro-soft excel graphics were used to model compressive responses of the PFRCs. From the analyses, the compressive strengths of raffia, bamboo and coconut composites are 40, 45 and 38MPa respectively.
 
Keywords: 
Hydrothermal; Polyester composites; Compression properties; Fiber
 
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