Development and Characterization of a Corn Cob Particulate/Polyester Resin Composite for Use as a Particle Board

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering

© 2025 by SSRG - IJME Journal

Volume 12 Issue 3

Year of Publication : 2025

Authors : N.Z. Nkomo, A.A. Alugongo

10.14445/23488360/IJME-V12I3P106

How to Cite?

N.Z. Nkomo, A.A. Alugongo, "Development and Characterization of a Corn Cob Particulate/Polyester Resin Composite for Use as a Particle Board," SSRG International Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 12,  no. 3, pp. 71-77, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488360/IJME-V12I3P106

Abstract:

In this research, corn cob particulate/polyester resin composites were developed with varying percentages of corn cob particles (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%). The study aimed to explore the potential of corn cob particles, an agricultural waste material, as a sustainable alternative for producing particle boards. The high rate of deforestation and global warming necessitates alternative methods of producing furniture boards. The research involved characterizing the raw materials, fabricating composite samples using the hand lay-up method, and analyzing the physical and mechanical properties of the hybrid composite. The corn cob particle average density was 281.18 kg/m³. Untreated corn cob particles absorbed water more readily, with a water absorption of 54.60% in the first two hours of immersion, compared to treated corn cob particles, which had a water absorption of 27.30%. The composites with 5% corn cob content had the lowest water absorption percentage of 0.46%, while those with 30% corn cob particles had the highest water absorption of 3.01 %. The density of the fabricated composite samples ranged from 1.12 to 1.129 g/cm³. Among the composites, the sample with 5% corn cob particles exhibited the highest tensile strength of 15.40 MPa, while the sample with 30% corn cob particles had the lowest tensile strength of 1.66 MPa. The composite samples with 10% corn cob particle content showed the highest recorded flexural strength of 26.94 MPa, followed by samples with 5% corn cob particle content at 26.63 MPa. Conversely, the 30% corn cob content samples had the lowest flexural strength of 18.42 MPa. The compressive strength of the samples increased slightly with the inclusion of corn cob particles. The sample with 10% corn cob particles exhibited the highest compressive strength of 84.28 MPa, and the sample with 30% corn cob content had the lowest compressive strength of 30.86 MPa.

Keywords:

Composite, Corn Cob, Furniture applications, Mechanical properties.

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