Development of Guinea Corn Husk-Cow Hair Hybrid Fibre Reinforced Cement Composite

Abstract

This research work presents the application of guinea corn husk (GCH) and cow hair (CH) fibres as reinforcement in cement composite. The influence of the hybrid fibre volume on the flexural performance of the composite has been studied experimentally. The mechanical (flexural strength) and physical (density, water absorptivity, moisture content) characteristics of the GCH-CH hybrid fibre reinforced composite were evaluated. The highest flexural strength was 22.37MPa, exhibited by the composite reinforced with 15% (12.5% GCH & 2.5% CH) hybrid fibre. The density of the GCH-CH hybrid composite ranged from 1019 to 1963 kg/m3. The water absorptivity varied from 22.59 to 38.16% and the moisture content ranged from 3.32 to 11.28%. These limits are within the range in standard therefore, the performance of the composite satisfies the requirements of BS EN 12467 standard for ceiling board.

Keywords

• Guinea corn husk, cow hair, flexural strength, density, water absorptivity