Development and Characterization of Camel’s food (Piliostigma thonningii) Insulator for Lagging Application

Abstract

Due to the growing concern for renewable and biodegradable thermal insulation materials motivated by the pending energy crisis, global warming and the environmental impact of the waste product after their useful life, many researchers have worked on the thermal and physical properties of various insulators without giving much consideration to the mechanical properties. Therefore, this paper proposes to investigate the mechanical properties of developed Camel’s food (Piliostigma thonningii) insulator for lagging application. Camel’s foot (Piliostigma thonningii L.) is a leguminous plant found growing abundantly as a wild uncultivated plant resource in many parts of Nigeria. The leaves and the bark fibers of the plant were prepared in form of insulation boards of thicknesses of 10, 20, 30 40, and 50mm using natural rubber latex as a binder. The ratio of the fiber to the binder in composition was 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4.The test results showed that the insulation boards from bark fibers of the plant had good mechanical properties. The properties measured range as follows: ultimate tensile strength (11.66 to 6.96M. Pa); compression strength (0.09 to 0.07 M.Pa), flexural modulus (2545.96 to 2184.07 M.Pa)  and flexural strength (53.09 to 29.96 M.Pa). According to the test results, it can be concluded that these insulation boards from the bark fibers of the plant had excellent mechanical properties.