Development of Agro-Based Particulate Reinforced Epoxy Composites for Helmet Application

¹Adeyanju Benson Bayode, ²Oladele Isiaka Oluwole, ²Adewuyi Benjamin Omotayo, ¹Idowu Abimbola Samson, ¹Olarotimi Abosede Oluwakemi, ¹Oyedokun Opeyemi Victoria, ¹John Oluwatayo Ayanleke, ¹Adeoya Ebenezer Alaba and Olaore Adeyemi Oluwasegun
¹Engineering Materials Development Institute Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria
²Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria
bayodea2003@gmail.com, +2348060019756

Abstract

This work attempts to make an improvement in the current helmet manufacturing materials and methodology. The composite was developed using epoxy matrix reinforced with cow bone and snail shell particles that were mixed in predetermined proportions. It was aimed at discovering filled epoxy with superior properties using naturally occurring particles from cow bone and snail shell for the production of safety helmet. The cow bone and snail shell were ground separately and sieved using 38 microns sieve sizes. Elemental composition analysis using X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) of both cow bone and snail shell revealed that snail shell has higher percentage composition of calcium compared to cow bone while manganese oxide and chlorine were present in snail shell only. Cow bone and snail shell particulate reinforced epoxy composites were prepared by varying the cow bone and snail shell particles from 5 to 25 wt% with 5 wt% intervals. Mechanical (flexural, tensile, impact and hardness) properties of the developed epoxy composites were evaluated. The results revealed that the mechanical properties exhibited maximum values at specific percentages of filler additions. From the result, hybrid samples within 15-20 wt% reinforcement showed the highest resistance before shattering relative to other samples. Therefore, for applications where impact strength is a major factor, hybrid sample of 15-20 wt% reinforcement can be used in place of pure epoxy. Elemental compositions were discovered to be part of the reasons for the observed responses from the developed composites.

Keywords: Sustainable materials, hybrid composites, cow bone, snail shell, helmet