Keywords

Abstract

Rice husks; 

 Egg shells; 

Banana fibres; 

Polymer; 

Mechanical properties; 

Composite

The hybridization of natural fibres improves composite development by compensating the drawbacks of single fibre reinforcement in a polymer matrix. This study examined the influence of rice husks, eggshells, and banana fibres on the mechanical properties of an epoxy polymer composite with the aim of developing a sustainable composite material with improved mechanical properties from agricultural wastes. The composites were developed from varied proportions of banana fibre (BF) and eggshell (ES) with constant rice husks (RH) in an epoxy polymer matrix; 5:20:20, 10:15:20, 15:10:20, and 20:5:20 respectively. The BF and RH were treated with 5% NaOH before its usage as a reinforcement. The mechanical properties; flexural, tensile, and impact strength of the cured samples were investigated and the test results revealed that hybridized BF/ES/RH enhanced the mechanical properties of the epoxy polymer matrix composite. The best flexural, tensile, and impact strength was obtained at composition 15:10:20 BF/ES/RH. The flexural, tensile, impact strength, flexural modulus, and tensile modulus ranged from 3.66 to 25.06 MPa, 11.35 to 17.42 MPa, 14.98 to 28.61 J/mm2, 133.80 to 850.75 MPa, and 469.18 to 1872.09 MPa respectively. The composite exhibited 64.7%, 9.3%, and 39.84% improvements in flexural, tensile, and impact strength, respectively, over the control sample. The BF, ES, and RH contribute to the composite’s tensile strength, impact resistance, and rigidity respectively. The result showed that the composite is suitable for various applications in engineering such as car door panels due to its improved mechanical strength while causing a reduction of waste circulation in the environment.

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