C.U. Atuanya

Experimental correlation of wear parameters in Al-Si-Fe alloy/breadfruit seed hull ash particulate composites

An attempt has been made to study the influence of wear parameters like applied load, sliding speed, sliding distance and weight percentage of breadfruit seed husk ash particles on the dry sliding wear of the Al-Si-Fe alloy composites. A plan of experiments, based on factorial design of four factors–two levels (42) techniques was performed to acquire data in controlled way. Analysis of variance and linear regression were employed to investigate the influence of process parameters on the wear of the composites. The results show that applied load has the highest effect followed by sliding distance. The comparison was made between actual values and predicted values, showing an error associated with dry sliding wear of the composites to be about 2%. The results showed that the addition of breadfruit seed hull ash as reinforcing materials in Al-Si-Fe alloy composites can be used for increasing wear resistance of the composite greatly.

Experimental study of the Properties of Brake pad using Egg shell particles-Gum Arabic composites

This experimental study investigated the properties of eco-friendly (biodegradable) brake pad using egg shell (ES) particles and Gum Arabic (GA) as the binder in order to replace asbestos and formaldehyde resin which are carcinogenic in nature and not biodegradable. The brake pad formulation was produced by varying the GA from 3 to 18 wt%. The following properties were tested: wear rate, hardness values, compressive strength, thickness swelling in water and SAE oil, thermal resistance and specific gravity. The microstructure of the brake pad showed that fair bonding was achieved with the formulations from 15 to 18 wt% of GA. The sample with 18 wt% of GA in ES particles gave the best properties. The temperature of maximal decomposition of ES particles was higher than asbestos and many agro-wastes currently used in the production of brake pad materials. The results obtained at 18 wt% of GA in ES particles formulation compared favourably with the commercial brake pad. Hence, the developed brake pad can be us...

Empirical models for estimating the mechanical and morphological properties of recycled low density polyethylene/snail shell bio-composites

Abstract The empirical models for estimating the mechanical properties and morphological of recycled low density polyethylene/snail shell bio-composites was investigated. The snail shell of particle sizes 75, 125, 250 and 500 μm with a weight percentage of 0, 5, 10 and 15 (wt%) with recycled polyethylene (RLDPE) were prepared by compounding and compressive moulding technique. Samples were cut from the panel and subjected to mechanical testing such as tensile, flexural and impact energy. Scanning electron microscope was used to analyse the fracture surface of the samples. Linear regression equation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to investigate the influence of process parameters on the mechanical properties of the samples. Results obtained showed that: as the wt% snail shell particles increased from 5 to 15, there was a raise in the tensile strength by (2.69) and the flexural strength (1.53). Also the increase in the snail shell particle size from 75 to 500 μm decreased the tensile strength by −5.46, flexural strength −3.97 and impact energy by −1.97. The predicted results obtained were in good agreement with the experimental results. Hence, the work can be used for indoor and outdoor structural applications.

Evaluation of the mechanical properties of recycled low-density polyethylene/bean pod particulate bio-composites

The effect of bean pod particles on the properties of recycled low-density polyethylene (RLDPE) composites was studied. The RLDPE/bean pod particles composites were produced using compounding and c...