ABSTRACT Methanolic extract of mango seed oil (Mangifera Indica) was evaluated for suitability as... more ABSTRACT Methanolic extract of mango seed oil (Mangifera Indica) was evaluated for suitability as lubricant for machini-ng mild steel at various speeds, feeds and depths of cut. The coefficient of friction between the tool and chip in-dicated that the methanolic extract reduced friction between the tool and work piece. The oil also produced high quality surface finish and continuous chips, which are characteristics of good machining lubricant. The propert-ies of the mango seed oil which influenced performance as machining lubricant were the high fatty acid content, presence of stearic and oleic acids as wetting agents, and high iodine and saponification values.
Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment, 2018
The technique of slicing Okro using kitchen knife often exposes users to the danger of knife cut ... more The technique of slicing Okro using kitchen knife often exposes users to the danger of knife cut and the output of the technique has been found to be low due to the drudgery involved in the process. It was in recognition of the need to reduce drudgery, injury and associated rigors to the user and to enhance quality, hygiene and efficiency in Okro processing that the research of developing a suitable Okro slicing machine was initiated. A simple motorized device was developed for slicing okra using locally available materials which include: bearings, shaft, pulleys, electric motor, cutting blade, rail, bolts and nuts. The slicing mechanism was based on the high shear stress that is generated when a blade edge is brought into contact with fibrous material causing the blade to move in rotary motion and to the direction of the applied force. After coupling and testing the machine, results obtained showed that it takes 3 seconds to slice one Okro using machine while in the case of manual ...
Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment, 2016
The development and construction of an electrically operated cassava peeling and slicing machine ... more The development and construction of an electrically operated cassava peeling and slicing machine was described in this paper. The objective was to design, construct and test an electrically operated machine that will peel and slice cassava root into chips, to aid the processes of drying, pelletizing and storage. The methodology adopted includes; design, construction, calculation, specification, assembly of component parts and performance test. The machine was able to Peel and slice cassava to fairly similar sizes. Performance test reveals that 7 kg of cassava tuber was peeled and chipped in one minute, which shows that, the machine developed can significantly reduce the cost of labour and time wastage associated with traditional processing of cassava tubers into dried cassava pellets, and finished products, such as; garri, and cassava flour. The machine has a capacity of 6.72 kg/min, with peeling and chipping efficiency of 66.2% and 84.0% respectively. The flesh loss of the peeled t...
Corrosion control of metals is of technical, economical, environmental and aesthetical importance... more Corrosion control of metals is of technical, economical, environmental and aesthetical importance. The use of inhibitors from plant extract is one of the best option of protecting metals and alloys against corrosion as it is environmentally acceptable, readily available and renewable. This paper exposed the use of some of the commonly available extracts, in addition to showing how hybridization of plant extract can enhance performance in the prevention of corrosion. Neem leave, bitter leave and Moringa were tested to determine their potency in the prevention of corrosion. Moringa exhibited the best performance and was hybridized with Neem leave extract because of its abundance within the locality of this experiment with a view to enhance its use in corrosion prevention. Weight loss, corrosion rate and inhibition efficiency were tested using mild steel sheet. Neem leaf extract in combination with Moringa at a ratio of 70:30 percentage weight produced hybridized inhibition extract tha...
Labor input in manual cassava chips processing is very high and product quality is low. This pape... more Labor input in manual cassava chips processing is very high and product quality is low. This paper presents the design and construction of an electrically operated cassava slicing machine that requires only one person to operate. Efficiency, portability, ease of operation, corrosion prevention of slicing component of the machine, force required to slice a cassava tuber, capacity of 10 kg/min and uniformity in the size of the cassava chips were considered in the design and fabrication of the machine. The performance of the machine was evaluated with cassava of average length and diameter of 253 mm and 60 mm respectively at an average speed of 154 rpm. The machine produced 5.3 kg of chips of 10 mm length and 60 mm diameter in 1 minute. The efficiency of the machine was 95.6% with respect to the quantity of the input cassava. The chips were found to be well chipped to the designed thickness, shape and of generally similar size. Galvanized steel sheets were used in the cutting section t...
ABSTRACT A Visual Basic Code “DriveCad” was developed for analysis and design of flat and V-belt ... more ABSTRACT A Visual Basic Code “DriveCad” was developed for analysis and design of flat and V-belt drives. The Code was used to solve design problems and the results compared favorably with data generated by manual computat-ions, with variation of less than 1.6 %. DriveCad was used to generate scaled 2-dimensional drawings of pulley and belt assembly at reduced design time with minimal roundoff errors.
Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiv... more Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiving encouraging attention because it offers range of properties that are quite difficult to obtain with a single kind of reinforcement. In this work, tensile strength and modulus of hybridized kenaf/PALF reinforced HDPE composite was examined. Pellets were produced form the mixture of the composite in an internal mixer at 190oC, 40rpm and 25minutes for processing temperature, speed and duration of mixing respectively. The composite sheets with thickness of 1mm produced from pellets were prepared using compression moulding. Then the tensile specimen were prepared and tested using an INSTRON bluehill universal testing machine according to ASTM D638 requirements. All samples were prepared at 1:1 kenaf:PALF ratio; ≤0.25mm and ≤0.5mm fibre length; fiber loading of 10 to 40% were utilized. Linear relationship of tensile modulus was observed with about 26% reduction in tensile strength at 10% f...
This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing par... more This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing parameters like temperature, speed of rotor and duration of composite mixing in an internal mixer were examined. Oven conditioned and unconditioned specimen were prepared and tested. The best tensile strength and tensile modulus were obtained at an optimum processing parameters of 190oC, 40rpm, and 15min for temperature of processing, speed of rotor and duration of mixing respectively, while 190oC, 40rpm and 20min gave the best flexural strength and 190oC, 40rpm and 25min for flexural modulus. Conditioning of composite tends to reduce its tensile modulus while increasing its strength and flexural modulus. All samples were produced at only 10w%(mass) of fibre in the composite at 1:1 and less than 0.3mm fibre ratio and length respectively. Utilization of these parameters according to end requirement can help in achieving optimum mechanical properties on hybridized composites.
In evaluating thermoplastics for their effective performance during processing, rheology properti... more In evaluating thermoplastics for their effective performance during processing, rheology properties are very useful. Similarly, in designing processing apparatus, knowledge of rheological behavior of composite melt is critical. In this study, melt flow and viscosity behavior of polypropylene/kenaf fibre composite was investigated using a single-screw extruder. Subsequently, flow behavior of the compounded formulation were evaluated by comparing the melt flow index, flow curve and viscosity curve of the PP and that of the composites at 190oC processing temperature and varying the fibre size. There appears to be a positive linear increase of the apparent shear stress with increase in the apparent shear rate and, as expected, viscosity values for the composite samples are much higher than the PP especially at larger fibre size. The additional of kenaf fibre in composite reduces the MFI value basically because of the hindrances in the plastic flow of the polymer. In addition the increas...
This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact streng... more This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength of hybridized kenaf and pineapple leaf fibre-reinforced high-density polyethylene composite. Two or more natural fibres are hybridized to provide an effective means of designing materials for various service requirements. The composite of kenaf/pineapple leaf fibre high-density polyethylene-based hybrid composite with different weight proportion of fibres were prepared. Total overall fibre loading in the composite was kept at 40%. The hybrid composites prepared were subjected to water immersion for 14 days to see how this concept can affect water uptake. At equal percentage ratio of the fibres, hybridization effect was optimized for tensile and flexural test; however, K6P4 gave the optimum impact strength while K3P7 resulted in the least overall water uptake. Strength and modulus values increased with increase in percentage of pineapple leaf fibre in the composite and the higher aspec...
This article presents an experimental study on the dynamic mechanical property of hybridized Kena... more This article presents an experimental study on the dynamic mechanical property of hybridized Kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composites. Variation in storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″) and damping parameter (tan δ) with fiber loading and variation in fiber length were investigated. The concept of hybridization was also discussed as it affects the dynamic properties. Initial storage modulus (E′) of all hybrids at different fibre ratios have been enormously improved compared to pure HDPE, and dependence of modulus on cellulose content of natural fibres was very clear. A lower percentage of PALF is required for hybridization with kenaf bast fibre to achieve a positive hybridization effect. Adequate hybridization could impart higher impact strength to the composite. The dynamic modulus curve showed an increase in the E′ value with increase in operating temperature up to about 130°C and is at a maximum at higher fibre loading. At lower temperatures, 60% of fibre loading had reduced the loss modulus peak of the pure HDPE. At temperature range of 30 to 65°C, incorporation of the fibres helped reduce the E″ peak of the matrix. Increasing the fibre content of the hybrids raised the damping peak with temperature. In addition, there is an increase in storage modulus with increased fibre length at room temperature up to about 65°C. Above this temperature, variation in fibre length became irrelevant up to the less viscous point of the matrix. A marginal difference in loss modulus with variation in fibre length was observed, no difference could be seen in the case of loss tangent (tan delta) in regard to variation in fibre length.
In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so man... more In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so many research work has been conducted and still ongoing as to the possibility of using natural fibres that are wholly degradable in combination with biodegradable thermoplastic materials. This has shown significant result so far and this effort needs to be further consolidated so that our environment can be safe and saved from destruction. It is for this reason that this paper is geared through reviewing studied and published results and brings out converging problems associated with biodegradable composite and partially degradable ones so that these associated problems can be tackled in further research. This review however will focus on Kenaf; a very important natural fibre with robust mechanical properties. Good number of journal papers have been reviewed here that touch on cultivation of kenaf and its consequent effect, chemical treatment of natural fibres, matrix combinations, processi...
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, Sep 15, 2014
An admixture burner for the atomization and combustion of used engine oil and kerosene for foundr... more An admixture burner for the atomization and combustion of used engine oil and kerosene for foundry application was constructed and tested to reduce the cost of operation in the foundry since the fuel is easily accessible, in addition to avoid pollution by the incessant dumping of the used engine oil. The nozzle, springs, screws, tank and the fuel hose were predominantly used materials for its construction. A test was carried out to determine the time taken for some selected engineering materials (copper, aluminum, brass, and lead) to melt using the admixture burner with an appropriate combination ratio of 1:5 for kerosene and used engine oil and the ratio of 15:1 for air and fuel respectively, which was considered to be the most reactive, because it ignites easily compared to other ratios. The time taken for 1kg of each selected engineering materials to melt were 49, 15, 22 and 7 minutes for copper, aluminum, brass and lead respectively. The burner has a thermal efficiency of 66%. Experiment also showed that that the density of the admixture, decreases with an increase in the temperature making it easy to mix and ignite for combustion.
Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is f... more Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiving encouraging attention because it offers range of properties that are quite difficult to obtain with a single kind of reinforcement. In this work, tensile strength and modulus of hybridized kenaf/PALF reinforced HDPE composite was examined. Pellets were produced form the mixture of the composite in an internal mixer at 190 o C, 40rpm and 25minutes for processing temperature, speed and duration of mixing respectively. The composite sheets with thickness of 1mm produced from pellets were prepared using compression moulding. Then the tensile specimen were prepared and tested using an INSTRON bluehill universal testing machine according to ASTM D638 requirements. All samples were prepared at 1:1 kenaf:PALF ratio; ≤0.25mm and ≤0.5mm fibre length; fiber loading of 10 to 40% were utilized. Linear relationship of tensile modulus was observed with about 26% reduction in tensile strength at 10% fibre loading that subsequently reduced but with a reversal increase at 40% fibre loading. This was attributed to a better supportive load at that fibre content and a better interaction between fibre and matrix. Furthermore, the result also corroborates with the one obtained for the tensile modulus at same fibre loading. The best tensile strength and tensile modulus obtained was 32.43MPa;642.61MPa and 30.01MPa;636.73MPa for 0.25mm and 0.5mm fibre length respectively. Increase in fibre length did not show any significant improvement in tensile strength which may have been coursed by fibre attrition. It is possible to achieve improved mechanical properties if the fibres are given some kind of treatment.
This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing par... more This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing parameters like temperature, speed of rotor and duration of composite mixing in an internal mixer were examined. Oven conditioned and unconditioned specimen were prepared and tested. The best tensile strength and tensile modulus were obtained at an optimum processing parameters of 190 o C, 40rpm, and 15min for temperature of processing, speed of rotor and duration of mixing respectively, while 190 o C, 40rpm and 20min gave the best flexural strength and 190 o C, 40rpm and 25min for flexural modulus. Conditioning of composite tends to reduce its tensile modulus while increasing its strength and flexural modulus. All samples were produced at only 10w%(mass) of fibre in the composite at 1:1 and less than 0.3mm fibre ratio and length respectively. Utilization of these parameters according to end requirement can help in achieving optimum mechanical properties on hybridized composites.
This article presents the thermal degradation behavior of hybridized kenaf (bast)/pineapple leaf ... more This article presents the thermal degradation behavior of hybridized kenaf (bast)/pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites by thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric analyses (TG/DTG) with respect to the proportions of fiber in the composite, variation in fiber loading and fiber length. It was observed that the thermal decomposition of all the samples had taken place within the scheduled temperature range of 35-615°C. For hybrid composites prepared at 40% fiber loading, the initial peak between 236.9 and 331°C corresponds to a mass loss of between 23 and 26%, and expectedly, PALF composite and 1:1 hybrid composite have the highest mass lost at this point. Main decomposition temperature as revealed from DTG curves occurred around 467°C for all except composite prepared with 0.75 and 2 mm fiber length. The mass loss at this temperature was between 64.4 and 73.7%. However, at 464.87°C, around 98% of neat HDPE had already degraded. Decomposition temperature of other composites was a little higher than the temperature at which HDPE concluded decomposition. Kenaf composite on its own showed initial thermal resistance, but above 240°C, a sharp increase in decomposition occurred with temperature. Interestingly, hybridization took care of this. Kenaf and PALF composite have shown weaker thermal stability compared to neat HDPE at lower temperatures. The introduction of more fiber into the matrix at onset caused the thermal stability of the hybridized composite to decrease. This reduction in thermal stability of the hybrid with increase in fiber loading became obvious after the dehydration process. Decomposition of hybrid composite is directly proportional to increase in fiber loading. However, at 385°C, where neat HDPE started decomposing, the percentage degradation of the hybrid showed inverse proportionality with increase in fiber loading. As observed, the size of the lignin and hemicelluloses shoulders in DTG curves deepen with increase in fiber loading, an indication of increased presence with increase in fiber loading.
Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 2011
Hybridized kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composite was produced and characterized. Prepared hybrids ... more Hybridized kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composite was produced and characterized. Prepared hybrids were irradiated at various doses of EBI and subsequently with 1%, 2%, and 3% concentrations of vinyltri(2-methoxy ethoxy) silane and TMPTMA as cross-linking agents. The effects of EBI on the mechanical properties of treated and untreated composites were compared. Specimens without cross-linking agents were irradiated using a 2.0 MeV EB accelerator at dose range of 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100 kGy. Thereafter, 10 kGy was selected to irradiate specimens that were prepared with cross-linking agents. Hybrid without the addition of any cross-linking agent showed increase in tensile strength and modulus with increase in radiation dose. Flexural strength, however, showed decline at 80 and 100 kGy. Optimum impact strength was obtained in hybrid prepared without cross-linking agents and at only 10 kGy, while 20 kGy gave superior flexural modulus. Unlike in tensile strength, silane performed better as a cross-linking agent in flexural properties than TMPTMA. Additions of cross-linking agents had less significantly improved the tensile and flexural properties of the hybrid. It was clear that HDPE self-cross-linked by radiation, making silane and TMPTMA less effective. Fractured surfaces of the composites, examined by a scanning electron microscope showed good adhesion between fiber and matrix.
Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 2011
Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiv... more Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiving encouraging attention because it offers a range of properties that may be difficult to obtain with a single kind of reinforcement. In this study, tensile, flexural, and impact properties of hybridized kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composite were studied. Sheets from which tensile, flexural, and impact specimens were cut out were produced from the compression molding of composite pellets and subsequently conditioned in an oven for 21 h at 103 C. The tensile and flexural specimens were tested according to ASTM D638 and ASTM D790 using a 5-kN INSTRON bluehill universal testing machine accordingly. While a notched Izoid impact test was conducted using a 1-J universal pendulum according to ASTM D256. All specimens were prepared at a fiber ratio of 1:1 kenaf:PALF and fiber lengths of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 2 mm; fiber loadings of between 10% and 70% were utilized for the study. About 0.25 mm fiber showed the best tensile and flexural properties with a linear increase in properties up to 60% fiber loading while impact strength showed better property with 0.75 and 2 mm fiber lengths. At 0.25 mm fiber length, tensile strength of 32.24 MPa, flexural strength and modulus of 34.01 MPa and 4114.11 MPa, respectively, were observed at 60% fiber loading. Moduli results of all the composites formulated generally obeyed the ROM. SEM was used to examine the surface of composites produced. Tensile and impact strengths result showed inverse proportionality while flexural strength of the composite generally adhered to the ROM. However, a positive effect was observed in the case of composite's impact strength in respect of increasing fiber length. Thus, reduction in some mechanical properties of the composite with respect to increasing fiber length is attributed more to fiber entanglement rather than attrition.
This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact streng... more This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength of hybridized kenaf and pineapple leaf fibre-reinforced high-density polyethylene composite. Two or more natural fibres are hybridized to provide an effective means of designing materials for various service requirements. The composite of kenaf/pineapple leaf fibre high-density polyethylene-based hybrid composite with different weight proportion of fibres were prepared. Total overall fibre loading in the composite was kept at 40%. The hybrid composites prepared were subjected to water immersion for 14 days to see how this concept can affect water uptake. At equal percentage ratio of the fibres, hybridization effect was optimized for tensile and flexural test; however, K6P4 gave the optimum impact strength while K3P7 resulted in the least overall water uptake. Strength and modulus values increased with increase in percentage of pineapple leaf fibre in the composite and the higher aspect ratio of kenaf helped in the dispersion of matrix in the composite. Favorable balance between the inherent advantages and disadvantages of these two fibres complemented each other. While pineapple leaf fibre helped the composite in tensile and flexural properties, kenaf provided impact strength and in reduction of water uptake. Dependence of modulus on the percentage of cellulose in natural fibres was clear. Kenaf and pineapple leaf fibre offered tremendous potential for hybridization. SEM was used to describe this interesting phenomenon.
In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so man... more In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so many research work has been conducted and still ongoing as to the possibility of using natural fibres that are wholly degradable in combination with biodegradable thermoplastic materials. This has shown significant result so far and this effort needs to be further consolidated so that our environment can be safe and saved from destruction. It is for this reason that this paper is geared through reviewing studied and published results and brings out converging problems associated with biodegradable composite and partially degradable ones so that these associated problems can be tackled in further research. This review however will focus on Kenaf; a very important natural fibre with robust mechanical properties. Good number of journal papers have been reviewed here that touch on cultivation of kenaf and its consequent effect, chemical treatment of natural fibres, matrix combinations, processing techniques, environmental effects on composite, critical fibre length, some works done on Malaysian cultivated kenaf and use of coupling agents to improve linkages between fibre and polymeric matrixes. Most of the studies so far discussed tend to arrive at the problem of wettability of the composites which inhibits further increase in fibre loading and consequent fibre pull-out. Various areas of further study have been highlighted to tackle the aforementioned problems in composite production.
ABSTRACT Methanolic extract of mango seed oil (Mangifera Indica) was evaluated for suitability as... more ABSTRACT Methanolic extract of mango seed oil (Mangifera Indica) was evaluated for suitability as lubricant for machini-ng mild steel at various speeds, feeds and depths of cut. The coefficient of friction between the tool and chip in-dicated that the methanolic extract reduced friction between the tool and work piece. The oil also produced high quality surface finish and continuous chips, which are characteristics of good machining lubricant. The propert-ies of the mango seed oil which influenced performance as machining lubricant were the high fatty acid content, presence of stearic and oleic acids as wetting agents, and high iodine and saponification values.
Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment, 2018
The technique of slicing Okro using kitchen knife often exposes users to the danger of knife cut ... more The technique of slicing Okro using kitchen knife often exposes users to the danger of knife cut and the output of the technique has been found to be low due to the drudgery involved in the process. It was in recognition of the need to reduce drudgery, injury and associated rigors to the user and to enhance quality, hygiene and efficiency in Okro processing that the research of developing a suitable Okro slicing machine was initiated. A simple motorized device was developed for slicing okra using locally available materials which include: bearings, shaft, pulleys, electric motor, cutting blade, rail, bolts and nuts. The slicing mechanism was based on the high shear stress that is generated when a blade edge is brought into contact with fibrous material causing the blade to move in rotary motion and to the direction of the applied force. After coupling and testing the machine, results obtained showed that it takes 3 seconds to slice one Okro using machine while in the case of manual ...
Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment, 2016
The development and construction of an electrically operated cassava peeling and slicing machine ... more The development and construction of an electrically operated cassava peeling and slicing machine was described in this paper. The objective was to design, construct and test an electrically operated machine that will peel and slice cassava root into chips, to aid the processes of drying, pelletizing and storage. The methodology adopted includes; design, construction, calculation, specification, assembly of component parts and performance test. The machine was able to Peel and slice cassava to fairly similar sizes. Performance test reveals that 7 kg of cassava tuber was peeled and chipped in one minute, which shows that, the machine developed can significantly reduce the cost of labour and time wastage associated with traditional processing of cassava tubers into dried cassava pellets, and finished products, such as; garri, and cassava flour. The machine has a capacity of 6.72 kg/min, with peeling and chipping efficiency of 66.2% and 84.0% respectively. The flesh loss of the peeled t...
Corrosion control of metals is of technical, economical, environmental and aesthetical importance... more Corrosion control of metals is of technical, economical, environmental and aesthetical importance. The use of inhibitors from plant extract is one of the best option of protecting metals and alloys against corrosion as it is environmentally acceptable, readily available and renewable. This paper exposed the use of some of the commonly available extracts, in addition to showing how hybridization of plant extract can enhance performance in the prevention of corrosion. Neem leave, bitter leave and Moringa were tested to determine their potency in the prevention of corrosion. Moringa exhibited the best performance and was hybridized with Neem leave extract because of its abundance within the locality of this experiment with a view to enhance its use in corrosion prevention. Weight loss, corrosion rate and inhibition efficiency were tested using mild steel sheet. Neem leaf extract in combination with Moringa at a ratio of 70:30 percentage weight produced hybridized inhibition extract tha...
Labor input in manual cassava chips processing is very high and product quality is low. This pape... more Labor input in manual cassava chips processing is very high and product quality is low. This paper presents the design and construction of an electrically operated cassava slicing machine that requires only one person to operate. Efficiency, portability, ease of operation, corrosion prevention of slicing component of the machine, force required to slice a cassava tuber, capacity of 10 kg/min and uniformity in the size of the cassava chips were considered in the design and fabrication of the machine. The performance of the machine was evaluated with cassava of average length and diameter of 253 mm and 60 mm respectively at an average speed of 154 rpm. The machine produced 5.3 kg of chips of 10 mm length and 60 mm diameter in 1 minute. The efficiency of the machine was 95.6% with respect to the quantity of the input cassava. The chips were found to be well chipped to the designed thickness, shape and of generally similar size. Galvanized steel sheets were used in the cutting section t...
ABSTRACT A Visual Basic Code “DriveCad” was developed for analysis and design of flat and V-belt ... more ABSTRACT A Visual Basic Code “DriveCad” was developed for analysis and design of flat and V-belt drives. The Code was used to solve design problems and the results compared favorably with data generated by manual computat-ions, with variation of less than 1.6 %. DriveCad was used to generate scaled 2-dimensional drawings of pulley and belt assembly at reduced design time with minimal roundoff errors.
Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiv... more Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiving encouraging attention because it offers range of properties that are quite difficult to obtain with a single kind of reinforcement. In this work, tensile strength and modulus of hybridized kenaf/PALF reinforced HDPE composite was examined. Pellets were produced form the mixture of the composite in an internal mixer at 190oC, 40rpm and 25minutes for processing temperature, speed and duration of mixing respectively. The composite sheets with thickness of 1mm produced from pellets were prepared using compression moulding. Then the tensile specimen were prepared and tested using an INSTRON bluehill universal testing machine according to ASTM D638 requirements. All samples were prepared at 1:1 kenaf:PALF ratio; ≤0.25mm and ≤0.5mm fibre length; fiber loading of 10 to 40% were utilized. Linear relationship of tensile modulus was observed with about 26% reduction in tensile strength at 10% f...
This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing par... more This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing parameters like temperature, speed of rotor and duration of composite mixing in an internal mixer were examined. Oven conditioned and unconditioned specimen were prepared and tested. The best tensile strength and tensile modulus were obtained at an optimum processing parameters of 190oC, 40rpm, and 15min for temperature of processing, speed of rotor and duration of mixing respectively, while 190oC, 40rpm and 20min gave the best flexural strength and 190oC, 40rpm and 25min for flexural modulus. Conditioning of composite tends to reduce its tensile modulus while increasing its strength and flexural modulus. All samples were produced at only 10w%(mass) of fibre in the composite at 1:1 and less than 0.3mm fibre ratio and length respectively. Utilization of these parameters according to end requirement can help in achieving optimum mechanical properties on hybridized composites.
In evaluating thermoplastics for their effective performance during processing, rheology properti... more In evaluating thermoplastics for their effective performance during processing, rheology properties are very useful. Similarly, in designing processing apparatus, knowledge of rheological behavior of composite melt is critical. In this study, melt flow and viscosity behavior of polypropylene/kenaf fibre composite was investigated using a single-screw extruder. Subsequently, flow behavior of the compounded formulation were evaluated by comparing the melt flow index, flow curve and viscosity curve of the PP and that of the composites at 190oC processing temperature and varying the fibre size. There appears to be a positive linear increase of the apparent shear stress with increase in the apparent shear rate and, as expected, viscosity values for the composite samples are much higher than the PP especially at larger fibre size. The additional of kenaf fibre in composite reduces the MFI value basically because of the hindrances in the plastic flow of the polymer. In addition the increas...
This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact streng... more This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength of hybridized kenaf and pineapple leaf fibre-reinforced high-density polyethylene composite. Two or more natural fibres are hybridized to provide an effective means of designing materials for various service requirements. The composite of kenaf/pineapple leaf fibre high-density polyethylene-based hybrid composite with different weight proportion of fibres were prepared. Total overall fibre loading in the composite was kept at 40%. The hybrid composites prepared were subjected to water immersion for 14 days to see how this concept can affect water uptake. At equal percentage ratio of the fibres, hybridization effect was optimized for tensile and flexural test; however, K6P4 gave the optimum impact strength while K3P7 resulted in the least overall water uptake. Strength and modulus values increased with increase in percentage of pineapple leaf fibre in the composite and the higher aspec...
This article presents an experimental study on the dynamic mechanical property of hybridized Kena... more This article presents an experimental study on the dynamic mechanical property of hybridized Kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composites. Variation in storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″) and damping parameter (tan δ) with fiber loading and variation in fiber length were investigated. The concept of hybridization was also discussed as it affects the dynamic properties. Initial storage modulus (E′) of all hybrids at different fibre ratios have been enormously improved compared to pure HDPE, and dependence of modulus on cellulose content of natural fibres was very clear. A lower percentage of PALF is required for hybridization with kenaf bast fibre to achieve a positive hybridization effect. Adequate hybridization could impart higher impact strength to the composite. The dynamic modulus curve showed an increase in the E′ value with increase in operating temperature up to about 130°C and is at a maximum at higher fibre loading. At lower temperatures, 60% of fibre loading had reduced the loss modulus peak of the pure HDPE. At temperature range of 30 to 65°C, incorporation of the fibres helped reduce the E″ peak of the matrix. Increasing the fibre content of the hybrids raised the damping peak with temperature. In addition, there is an increase in storage modulus with increased fibre length at room temperature up to about 65°C. Above this temperature, variation in fibre length became irrelevant up to the less viscous point of the matrix. A marginal difference in loss modulus with variation in fibre length was observed, no difference could be seen in the case of loss tangent (tan delta) in regard to variation in fibre length.
In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so man... more In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so many research work has been conducted and still ongoing as to the possibility of using natural fibres that are wholly degradable in combination with biodegradable thermoplastic materials. This has shown significant result so far and this effort needs to be further consolidated so that our environment can be safe and saved from destruction. It is for this reason that this paper is geared through reviewing studied and published results and brings out converging problems associated with biodegradable composite and partially degradable ones so that these associated problems can be tackled in further research. This review however will focus on Kenaf; a very important natural fibre with robust mechanical properties. Good number of journal papers have been reviewed here that touch on cultivation of kenaf and its consequent effect, chemical treatment of natural fibres, matrix combinations, processi...
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, Sep 15, 2014
An admixture burner for the atomization and combustion of used engine oil and kerosene for foundr... more An admixture burner for the atomization and combustion of used engine oil and kerosene for foundry application was constructed and tested to reduce the cost of operation in the foundry since the fuel is easily accessible, in addition to avoid pollution by the incessant dumping of the used engine oil. The nozzle, springs, screws, tank and the fuel hose were predominantly used materials for its construction. A test was carried out to determine the time taken for some selected engineering materials (copper, aluminum, brass, and lead) to melt using the admixture burner with an appropriate combination ratio of 1:5 for kerosene and used engine oil and the ratio of 15:1 for air and fuel respectively, which was considered to be the most reactive, because it ignites easily compared to other ratios. The time taken for 1kg of each selected engineering materials to melt were 49, 15, 22 and 7 minutes for copper, aluminum, brass and lead respectively. The burner has a thermal efficiency of 66%. Experiment also showed that that the density of the admixture, decreases with an increase in the temperature making it easy to mix and ignite for combustion.
Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is f... more Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiving encouraging attention because it offers range of properties that are quite difficult to obtain with a single kind of reinforcement. In this work, tensile strength and modulus of hybridized kenaf/PALF reinforced HDPE composite was examined. Pellets were produced form the mixture of the composite in an internal mixer at 190 o C, 40rpm and 25minutes for processing temperature, speed and duration of mixing respectively. The composite sheets with thickness of 1mm produced from pellets were prepared using compression moulding. Then the tensile specimen were prepared and tested using an INSTRON bluehill universal testing machine according to ASTM D638 requirements. All samples were prepared at 1:1 kenaf:PALF ratio; ≤0.25mm and ≤0.5mm fibre length; fiber loading of 10 to 40% were utilized. Linear relationship of tensile modulus was observed with about 26% reduction in tensile strength at 10% fibre loading that subsequently reduced but with a reversal increase at 40% fibre loading. This was attributed to a better supportive load at that fibre content and a better interaction between fibre and matrix. Furthermore, the result also corroborates with the one obtained for the tensile modulus at same fibre loading. The best tensile strength and tensile modulus obtained was 32.43MPa;642.61MPa and 30.01MPa;636.73MPa for 0.25mm and 0.5mm fibre length respectively. Increase in fibre length did not show any significant improvement in tensile strength which may have been coursed by fibre attrition. It is possible to achieve improved mechanical properties if the fibres are given some kind of treatment.
This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing par... more This work is aimed at achieving optimum processing parameters for Kenaf/PALF/HDPE. Processing parameters like temperature, speed of rotor and duration of composite mixing in an internal mixer were examined. Oven conditioned and unconditioned specimen were prepared and tested. The best tensile strength and tensile modulus were obtained at an optimum processing parameters of 190 o C, 40rpm, and 15min for temperature of processing, speed of rotor and duration of mixing respectively, while 190 o C, 40rpm and 20min gave the best flexural strength and 190 o C, 40rpm and 25min for flexural modulus. Conditioning of composite tends to reduce its tensile modulus while increasing its strength and flexural modulus. All samples were produced at only 10w%(mass) of fibre in the composite at 1:1 and less than 0.3mm fibre ratio and length respectively. Utilization of these parameters according to end requirement can help in achieving optimum mechanical properties on hybridized composites.
This article presents the thermal degradation behavior of hybridized kenaf (bast)/pineapple leaf ... more This article presents the thermal degradation behavior of hybridized kenaf (bast)/pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites by thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric analyses (TG/DTG) with respect to the proportions of fiber in the composite, variation in fiber loading and fiber length. It was observed that the thermal decomposition of all the samples had taken place within the scheduled temperature range of 35-615°C. For hybrid composites prepared at 40% fiber loading, the initial peak between 236.9 and 331°C corresponds to a mass loss of between 23 and 26%, and expectedly, PALF composite and 1:1 hybrid composite have the highest mass lost at this point. Main decomposition temperature as revealed from DTG curves occurred around 467°C for all except composite prepared with 0.75 and 2 mm fiber length. The mass loss at this temperature was between 64.4 and 73.7%. However, at 464.87°C, around 98% of neat HDPE had already degraded. Decomposition temperature of other composites was a little higher than the temperature at which HDPE concluded decomposition. Kenaf composite on its own showed initial thermal resistance, but above 240°C, a sharp increase in decomposition occurred with temperature. Interestingly, hybridization took care of this. Kenaf and PALF composite have shown weaker thermal stability compared to neat HDPE at lower temperatures. The introduction of more fiber into the matrix at onset caused the thermal stability of the hybridized composite to decrease. This reduction in thermal stability of the hybrid with increase in fiber loading became obvious after the dehydration process. Decomposition of hybrid composite is directly proportional to increase in fiber loading. However, at 385°C, where neat HDPE started decomposing, the percentage degradation of the hybrid showed inverse proportionality with increase in fiber loading. As observed, the size of the lignin and hemicelluloses shoulders in DTG curves deepen with increase in fiber loading, an indication of increased presence with increase in fiber loading.
Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 2011
Hybridized kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composite was produced and characterized. Prepared hybrids ... more Hybridized kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composite was produced and characterized. Prepared hybrids were irradiated at various doses of EBI and subsequently with 1%, 2%, and 3% concentrations of vinyltri(2-methoxy ethoxy) silane and TMPTMA as cross-linking agents. The effects of EBI on the mechanical properties of treated and untreated composites were compared. Specimens without cross-linking agents were irradiated using a 2.0 MeV EB accelerator at dose range of 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100 kGy. Thereafter, 10 kGy was selected to irradiate specimens that were prepared with cross-linking agents. Hybrid without the addition of any cross-linking agent showed increase in tensile strength and modulus with increase in radiation dose. Flexural strength, however, showed decline at 80 and 100 kGy. Optimum impact strength was obtained in hybrid prepared without cross-linking agents and at only 10 kGy, while 20 kGy gave superior flexural modulus. Unlike in tensile strength, silane performed better as a cross-linking agent in flexural properties than TMPTMA. Additions of cross-linking agents had less significantly improved the tensile and flexural properties of the hybrid. It was clear that HDPE self-cross-linked by radiation, making silane and TMPTMA less effective. Fractured surfaces of the composites, examined by a scanning electron microscope showed good adhesion between fiber and matrix.
Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 2011
Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiv... more Hybridization, especially where only variant natural lignocelluloses are combined, is fast receiving encouraging attention because it offers a range of properties that may be difficult to obtain with a single kind of reinforcement. In this study, tensile, flexural, and impact properties of hybridized kenaf/PALF-reinforced HDPE composite were studied. Sheets from which tensile, flexural, and impact specimens were cut out were produced from the compression molding of composite pellets and subsequently conditioned in an oven for 21 h at 103 C. The tensile and flexural specimens were tested according to ASTM D638 and ASTM D790 using a 5-kN INSTRON bluehill universal testing machine accordingly. While a notched Izoid impact test was conducted using a 1-J universal pendulum according to ASTM D256. All specimens were prepared at a fiber ratio of 1:1 kenaf:PALF and fiber lengths of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 2 mm; fiber loadings of between 10% and 70% were utilized for the study. About 0.25 mm fiber showed the best tensile and flexural properties with a linear increase in properties up to 60% fiber loading while impact strength showed better property with 0.75 and 2 mm fiber lengths. At 0.25 mm fiber length, tensile strength of 32.24 MPa, flexural strength and modulus of 34.01 MPa and 4114.11 MPa, respectively, were observed at 60% fiber loading. Moduli results of all the composites formulated generally obeyed the ROM. SEM was used to examine the surface of composites produced. Tensile and impact strengths result showed inverse proportionality while flexural strength of the composite generally adhered to the ROM. However, a positive effect was observed in the case of composite's impact strength in respect of increasing fiber length. Thus, reduction in some mechanical properties of the composite with respect to increasing fiber length is attributed more to fiber entanglement rather than attrition.
This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact streng... more This work provides variation in mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength of hybridized kenaf and pineapple leaf fibre-reinforced high-density polyethylene composite. Two or more natural fibres are hybridized to provide an effective means of designing materials for various service requirements. The composite of kenaf/pineapple leaf fibre high-density polyethylene-based hybrid composite with different weight proportion of fibres were prepared. Total overall fibre loading in the composite was kept at 40%. The hybrid composites prepared were subjected to water immersion for 14 days to see how this concept can affect water uptake. At equal percentage ratio of the fibres, hybridization effect was optimized for tensile and flexural test; however, K6P4 gave the optimum impact strength while K3P7 resulted in the least overall water uptake. Strength and modulus values increased with increase in percentage of pineapple leaf fibre in the composite and the higher aspect ratio of kenaf helped in the dispersion of matrix in the composite. Favorable balance between the inherent advantages and disadvantages of these two fibres complemented each other. While pineapple leaf fibre helped the composite in tensile and flexural properties, kenaf provided impact strength and in reduction of water uptake. Dependence of modulus on the percentage of cellulose in natural fibres was clear. Kenaf and pineapple leaf fibre offered tremendous potential for hybridization. SEM was used to describe this interesting phenomenon.
In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so man... more In a view to reduce the cost of production and the harmful destruction of our environment, so many research work has been conducted and still ongoing as to the possibility of using natural fibres that are wholly degradable in combination with biodegradable thermoplastic materials. This has shown significant result so far and this effort needs to be further consolidated so that our environment can be safe and saved from destruction. It is for this reason that this paper is geared through reviewing studied and published results and brings out converging problems associated with biodegradable composite and partially degradable ones so that these associated problems can be tackled in further research. This review however will focus on Kenaf; a very important natural fibre with robust mechanical properties. Good number of journal papers have been reviewed here that touch on cultivation of kenaf and its consequent effect, chemical treatment of natural fibres, matrix combinations, processing techniques, environmental effects on composite, critical fibre length, some works done on Malaysian cultivated kenaf and use of coupling agents to improve linkages between fibre and polymeric matrixes. Most of the studies so far discussed tend to arrive at the problem of wettability of the composites which inhibits further increase in fibre loading and consequent fibre pull-out. Various areas of further study have been highlighted to tackle the aforementioned problems in composite production.
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