Development of Insulating Masonry Bricks from Wood Fiber and Varying Milled Glass Proportion

Thermal efficient sandcrete bricks are masonry units with good thermal insulating properties. Wood fiber (WF) possesses low thermal conductivity, hence, its incorporation in mortar mix results in thermal efficient masonry units. Milled glass (MG) could be added for strength enhancement. This study incorporated WF into mortar mix at a constant dosage of 5 wt.%, with varying MG proportions of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% and cured for 7, 14 and 28 days. The results obtained showed minimization of porosity and water absorption at increasing MG content. Density and compressive strength were enhanced as MG content increased. Flexural and splitting tensile strengths appreciated and peaked at 15 wt.% MG. Thermal performance measured demonstrated progressive appreciation in thermal conductivity while specific heat capacity followed a downtrend as MG dosage increased. The study revealed that the collage of 5 wt. % wood fiber and 15 wt. % MG yielded optimum result. The study, therefore, concludes that the addition of milled glass and wood fiber positively and significantly affected the properties of sandcrete bricks. 15 wt.% of milled glass and 5% wood fiber inclusion in sandcrete bricks are recommended for use by construction practitioners

Cement–paperboard composite for speaker/woofer casing: Experimental trend analysis (ETA) and performance evaluation

One of the uses of particle board is in the design of speaker/woofer casing, but with increasing demand, the cost is skyrocketing, effects of which lead to the high cost of end-use woofer gadgets. Cement–paper composite reinforced with snail shell powder/banana fiber was developed as an alternative. The fiber was grouped into two; untreated banana fiber (UBF) and treated banana fiber (TBF) (treated with 1 M NaOH). Fibers were infused into the composite at 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5% by weight of paper pulp while snail shell powder was added at 15 wt.% constant proportion for all samples produced. Curing was carried out for 28 and 56 days, respectively. The composite boards produced were examined for physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties. Results obtained indicated an uptrend in water absorption and thickness swelling at increasing fiber loading. Internal bond strength, screw holding strength, moduli of rupture, and elasticity were observed to be enhanced with increment in fiber proportion. It was further noticed that alkaline TBF performed better than the untreated fiber, hence recommended for paperboard production. Experimental trend and performance analysis engaged in revealed hydration to be the most efficient experimental variable and important for overall property maximization in cement–paper composite. Performance evaluation conducted showed effective property index was noticed to be highest for composite board doped with 2.5 wt.% TBF

Between theory and praxis: reply to Thaddeus Metz

In a Guest Lecture delivered by Professor Thaddeus Metz at a Colloquium organized in honour of my 50th birthday, he critically interrogated various aspects of my African philosophical scholarship with a particular focus on what I consider as the task of an African philosopher in the twenty-first century. Drawing on the existential and social problems in contemporary Africa (such as poverty, corruption, leadership problem, ethno-religious crisis, terrorism, refugee crisis, women’s right, amongst others), I have argued that African philosophy should be tailored towards ameliorating these problems as a way of making life meaningful. Metz’s striking criticism is that doing philosophy that does not necessary address existential and socio-political problems in Africa is worth taking seriously in African philosophy. He adds that the very idea of “meaningfulness constitutes a strong, competing reason,” to do philosophy for its own sake. In this article, I reply Metz, contending that his critique only differs in degree from the position I earlier defended but not in kind regarding the connection between theory and praxis. While we both agree on the imperativeness of theorizing in African philosophy, I argue further that African philosophy should go beyond this to solve the practical issues relevant to the advancement of humanity and the society.Keywords: African Philosophy, theory, Praxis, Thaddeus Met

Tensile, Flexural, and Morphological Properties of Jute/Oil Palm Pressed Fruit Fibers Reinforced High Density Polyethylene Hybrid Composites

The incorporation of materials that were formally regarded as agricultural wastes into polymeric matrix has drawn the attention of many researchers in recent years. This research focused on reinforcing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix with treated jute fiber (JF)/oil palm pressed fruit fibers (OPPFF) at varying weight proportions. JF and OPPFF were cut to 2.5 mm length and were chemically treated thereafter with 1 M and 1.5 M sodium hydroxide solution respectively. The composites were produced using the compression molding technique. The morphological characterization of the fibers and composites for untreated and treated samples was studied with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Tensile and flexural properties of the produced composite samples were also determined. From the result, the surface morphology of the fiber after treatment showed that there was obvious exposure of the fiber surface and removal of impurities as this influenced the microstructure of the composites and in turn the tensile and flexural properties. Hence, it was observed that 20 wt.% treated jute fiber addition shows the most significant enhancements in terms of tensile and flexural properties. The study exposed the effect of surface modification of JF/OPPF hybridization on HDPE matrix composite