Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Thermal Parameters on Glass- Fiber Reinforced Composite

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of thermal parameters on the glass fiber reinforced biocomposite produced. The materials used were locally sourced within Adeleke University campus, Ede, Nigeria. The reinforced bio-composite was produced by mixture of prepared bamboo, PET and glass fiber powders, with epoxy resin serving as the bonding agent. Each of the powdered bamboo, PET and glass fiber was sieved using three different screen sizes of 250, 425, and 600 μm, respectively. The samples produced were subjected to sintering process and the heat distribution
within the composite was measured using type-k thermocouple and digital thermometer. The results show reveal that the quantity of heat decreases with addition of glass fiber and increase in the particle size of the reinforced bio-composite. Also, the specific heat capacity of the composites decreases with increase in particle size and addition of glass fiber. Likewise, the thermal
conductivity increases with increase in particle size of the reinforced composite but reduces with addition of glass fiber. Similarly, the thermal diffusivity of the reinforced bio-composite decreases with increase in particle size however it increases with the addition of glass fiber. Therefore, the presence of glass fiber and the particle size have significant effect on the thermal parameters of the reinforced bio-composite.