Analysis of the free-swell behaviour of orange peel particulates

Abstract

Orange peel particulates (OPPs) are interesting materials for the sport equipment production and other industrial applications from the economic and ecological perspectives. Free swell experiments were used to observe the possible behaviour of orange peel filler materials as inputs to orange peel reinforced composites when used in outdoor water-based applications. Experimental data were collected for 10 days on 24-hourly measurements. Holtz and Gibb’s free swell model was applied in terms of five parameters: Free swell (Sf); final volume (Vf); mass of water (Mw); mass of solution (Ms); and volume of solution (Vs). The particle diameter sizes considered in the experiments are 0.075, 0.150, 0.212, 0.300, 0.425 and 0.600 mm. The analysis showed the level of water swelling abilities of the various particulate sizes, which could give an informed decision on possible behaviour of orange peel particulates in outdoor applications.

Keywords

• swelling parameters
• experiments
• free swell
• green composites