Investigation on mechanical and physical properties of GFRP-Egg shell powder hybrid composites

Objectives: In this paper, various physical and mechanical properties of egg shell powder filled hybrid composites have been found. Methods/Analysis: Different types of composites have been fabricated using 5 wt% egg shell powder and 10 wt% egg shell powder with 50 wt% fiber, rest matrix material. The composites were fabricated by hand-layup process. Specimens were cut and tested according to ASTM standards. Findings: All composite with filler material exhibited better tensile strength than unfilled composites. Adding filler material might have resulted in restriction of propagation of crack and delamination. The shape and size of egg shell powder was the fine-tuning factor. The rate of burning of the composites at any given filler particle size decreased with increase in filler contents. Novelty/Improvement: The cost of egg shell powder fillers is less than that of the polyester matrix. The use of egg shell powder as fillers for the plastic industry will not only provide a renewable source of filler for the plastic industry but also generate a non - food source of economic development for the famers in the rural areas.