Mechanical and frictional properties of coconut husk powder reinforced polymer immersed in a simulated acidic medium for oil/gas applications
David O. Obada,
Kazeem A. Salami,
Ayodeji N. Oyedeji,
Obinna A. Osuchukwu,
Jimoh Abass,
Christian Ogwuche,
Naresh D. Bansod,
Michael I. Ubgaja,
Ibrahim U. Ibrahim,
Bello Abdulkareem,
Rabiu K. Olawale,
Luqman K. Abidoye
Affiliations
David O. Obada
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Africa Centre of Excellence on New Pedagogies in Engineering Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Multifunctional Materials Laboratory, Shell Office Complex, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Corresponding author. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Kazeem A. Salami
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Multifunctional Materials Laboratory, Shell Office Complex, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Ayodeji N. Oyedeji
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Africa Centre of Excellence on New Pedagogies in Engineering Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Multifunctional Materials Laboratory, Shell Office Complex, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Obinna A. Osuchukwu
Multifunctional Materials Laboratory, Shell Office Complex, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria; Corresponding author. Multifunctional Materials Laboratory, Shell Office Complex, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Jimoh Abass
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Christian Ogwuche
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Naresh D. Bansod
Department of Chemistry, Mahatma Gandhi Arts, Science and Late N.P. Commerce College, Armori (M.S.), India
Michael I. Ubgaja
Department of Polymer Technology, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
Ibrahim U. Ibrahim
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Bello Abdulkareem
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Rabiu K. Olawale
Department of Chemical Engineering, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria
Luqman K. Abidoye
Department of Chemical Engineering, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria
Polymeric materials are constantly exposed to aggressive environments, negatively impacting their mechanical and chemical properties. In salt, acid, or alkaline solutions, polymer materials degrade due to surface flaws, microcracks, or other irregularities. For the first time, this study considers the behaviour of coconut powder/coir-reinforced synthetic LDPE hybrid composite immersed in an aggressive (acidic) medium for 15, 30 and 45 days. The structural, mechanical, and frictional behaviour of the developed coir/coconut husk powder/LDPE hybrid composites were measured after ageing in hydrochloric acid (HCl) as potential materials for oil and gas applications. From the XRD patterns, the prominent reflections in the control samples increased with the acid ageing days, while less prominent reflections characterized the hybrid composites. The hardness of the reinforced samples immersed for 30 and 45 days (30B and 45A) showed the highest values of 0.28 Hv, while the control samples immersed for 15 days had the least hardness. The reinforced samples immersed for 15 and 30 days (15B and 30B) showed the lowest and highest fracture toughness, respectively. The control samples were observed to absorb little water after immersion for 144 h. The result showed that although the reinforced hybrid composites showed better mechanical properties, with an increase in the days of immersion in an aggressive medium, the properties became compromised compared to the un-reinforced samples. Hence, the applications of the produced reinforced polymers in the oil and gas industries may be limited.
