Mechanical Characterization of Earth-Based Composites Materials Reinforced with Treated Bamboo Fibres for Affordable Hou
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MRS Advances © 2020 Materials Research Society DOI: 10.1557/adv.2020.214
Mechanical Characterization of Earth-Based Composites Materials Reinforced with Treated Bamboo Fibres for Affordable Housing B. Jnr Asare 1 and Y. Danyuo 1, *
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ashesi University, 1 University Avenue, Berekuso, Ghana
Abstract
This paper presents the characterization of laterite-cement-based matrix composites, reinforced with chemically modified bamboo fibers. Fiber extraction and chemical modification were first explored by soaking slabs of bamboos in NaOH solution (5 wt.% of NaOH in distilled water) for 14 days. Fiber characterization, as well as the flexural and compressive strength of reinforced composites, were carried out with MTS universal mechanical testing machine. Comparative results on the compressive and flexural strength were obtained at 80 wt.% laterite (L) to 20 wt.% cement (C) with fiber ratios from 5-25 wt%. The compressive strength of the composites varied from 7.2 MPa (at 5 wt.% bamboo fiber) to 17.67 MPa (at 25 wt% fiber blocks). The hardness of the composites was found to improve from 66.67-75.0 HD with bamboo fibers. Results were then discussed for possible structural applications such as enhancing low-cost building blocks for rural communities in Ghana.
*Corresponding Author: Email: [email protected], Mobile: +233550505434.
1.0 INTRODUCTION Composite materials are generally obtained through the combination of two or more different materials. The different combinations then give rise to different phases, which are often separated by distinct interfaces and the overall effect enhances the mechanical properties of the new structure [1,2]. Composite materials are therefore characterized by high fatigue strength, low weight, good resistance to corrosion [1,2], resist abrasive wear, improved hardness and impact strength [3]. Composites materials have been used in most engineering structural applications. For instance, Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, China, and Japan have made great use of fiber-reinforced structures in their modern building technologies [4,5]. The development in composite materials after meeting the challenges of the aerospace sector has extended to domestic and industrial applications [5,6]. Composites, the wonder materials with lightweight, high strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness properties [4] have come a long way to replace
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conventional materials such as metals, wood, etc. Recently, material scientists and engineers all over the world focused on natural composites (reinforced with fibers obtained from jute, pineapple, coir, bamboo, sisal, banana, etc), primarily to cut down the cost of raw materials. An example is a work by Kabiru et al 2015 [7]. The efficiency of fiber reinforcement depends on achieving a uniform distri
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