Effect of organic fillers on the tensile characterization of calcium carbonate hybridized epoxy composite

Abstract

Because organic materials are more sustainable, there is a global campaign to use them in composite production. The purpose of this study was to look into the effect of groundnut shell and snail shell fillers on the tensile properties of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) hybridized epoxy composite.  The CaCO₃ hybridized epoxy composite samples were prepared with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treated 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% groundnut shell/snail shell fillers volume. The tensile properties of all composite samples were tested in accordance with ASTM International standards. The tensile test results showed that partial replacement of CaCO3 with snail shell and groundnut shell fillers produced composite samples with good tensile properties. The hybridized composite containing 10% CaCO₃ and 6% snail shell/groundnut shell fillers had the highest tensile strength of 27.3 MPa; while the hybridized composite containing10% CaCO₃ and 10% snail shell/groundnut shell fillers recorded the lowest tensile strength of 20MPa. Likewise, the results revealed that the hybridized composite containing 10% CaCO₃ and 6% snail shell/groundnut shell fillers, recorded the highest tensile elongation (13.6 mm); while the hybridized composite containing 10% CaCO₃ and 2% snail shell/groundnut shell fillers, had the lowest highest tensile elongation (9.03 mm). In terms of the tensile energy of the composite produced, the results showed that the hybridized composite reinforced with 10% CaCO₃ and 6% snail shell/groundnut shell fillers recorded the highest tensile energy (0.86 Nm) at the fracture point, while the hybridized composite reinforced with 10% CaCO₃ and 2% snail shell/groundnut shell filler developed the lowest tensile energy (0.65 Nm) at the fracture point.  According to the findings of this study, organic fillers can be used to replace inorganic fillers during composite production. As a result, treated snail and groundnut shell fillers have the potential to be used as a sustainable material in the production of green composites.