Reinforcement of cement tiles with palm kernel shell particles as natural fibre

Abstract

This study focused on the experimental investigation of the effect of palm kernel shell particulate reinforcement on the mechanical  properties of cement-based tiles. Five samples of cement tiles reinforced with different compositions of kernel shell of 1440 µm particle  size at predetermined moisture content were produced against a control sample to ascertain the composition that offered the best  suitable properties for the functional requirements of cement tiles at reduced cost. For all the samples produced, evaluations for bulk  density, apparent porosity, water absorption capacity, and flexural strength were investigated. The results showed that porosity, water  absorption capacity, and apparent density decreased with an increase in the palm kernel shell compositions while bulked density  increased. The variation with 80 % cement and 20 % palm kernel shell fibre reinforcement (Sample B) demonstrated optimal tile quality  with apparent porosity of 10.35 %, a water absorption capacity of 5.47 %, bulk density of 1.89 g/cm³, and flexural strength of 37.21 kgF/ cm² . It was evident that the flexural strength of sample B met the ASTMC293 standard cement tiles requirement of 35 kgF/cm² to 40 kgF/ cm² thus the optimal volume fraction with improved surface characteristics and recommended for applications where hard and heavy  materials are used on tiles.