Publication: Optimised formulation of eggshell powder filled glass fibre reinforced polymer composite: mechanical, thermal and fire resistance properties
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Date
2025-11-27
Authors
Athifah Fakhirah, Muhammad
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Abstract
This study explores the use of chicken eggshell powder (ESP) as a biofiller in
E-glass fibre-reinforced composites. Eggshells, typically agricultural waste, are low density, abundant, inexpensive, and effective as flame-retardants. The research
examines the mechanical, thermal, and fire resistance properties of GFRP composites
with ESP. The eggshells were cleaned, dried, crushed, pulverized, and sieved to obtain
filler powders of 50 μm, 100 μm, and 150 μm sizes. These powders were mixed with
epoxy and laminated with E-glass using a wet hand lay-up technique. The mechanical
performance was evaluated based on filler size and loading concentration, with
ANOVA used to assess the maximum tensile and flexural stress. The optimal
parameters obtained from the regression analyses were 150 µm filler size and 10 wt%
loading, resulting in a maximum tensile stress of 272.95 MPa, flexural stress of 189.15
MPa, and a desirability score of 0.874, indicating a strong model fit. Thermal stability
and fire resistance assessments revealed significant improvements in fire resistance,
with a 22.52% decrease in weight loss, an 11.54% decrease in self-extinguishing time,
and a 16.97% decrease in linear burning rate. These findings suggest that ESP
enhances the degradation temperature, reduces weight loss, shortens flame
extinguishment times, and improves flame retardancy, highlighting the potential for
using eggshell waste in sustainable composite materials.