On the characterization of sandwich panels for solar flat plate collectors’ applications: theoretical and experimental investigation

This paper presents an experimental characterization on the mechanical behaviour of four different sandwich panels, for use in thermal insulation. These Panels are the results of the combination of four composite materials; two materials as skins (Glass-Polyester and Plywood) and two as cores (Polystyrene and Cork agglomerate). From the comparison between the mechanical behaviour of these four sandwich panels which was tested for three point-bending tests; the sandwich with Glass-Polyester as skin and Cork agglomerate as core has the highest overall stiffness compared to the other sandwich panels. Furthermore, thermal characteristics of these four panels (insulation materials) were numerically used in a comparative study of thermal performances of solar flat plate collectors, FPCs. Thus, we have proceeded to the comparison of these FPCs efficiencies in order to determine the best performing model for agro-alimentary drying applications. From the comparison between these four FPCs, the highest efficiency was obtained from the FPC insulation panel with plywood as skin and cork agglomerate as core

Experimental determination of elastic modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s coefficient of date palm tree fiber

The present study is an attempt to valorize local vegetable fibers by evaluating thire effectiveness as a new composite biomaterial. Our aim was to determine the mechanical characteristics, namely the elastic modulus and Poisson’s coefficient, of a fiber, locally called “Lif,” that is a natural material extracted from different date palm tree varieties in Biskra, a region situated in southeastern Algeria. This study compares the mechanical characteristcs of the Lif date palm tree fiber with other synthetic and plant fibers studied previously

Caractérisation physique et mécanique du bois et des fibres issus d’une palme mûre de palmier dattier

La disponibilité en quantité importante des sous-produits renouvelable des palmiers dattiers laisse envisager leur utilisation comme renfort dans les matériaux composites et les structures d’isolation. Ceci nécessite la caractérisation physico-mécanique des différentes composantes du palmier. Dans ce contexte, cette étude a été entamée pour la caractérisation d’une composante importante du palmier qui est la palme mûre. La palme étant décomposée essentiellement en deux parties, le Pétiole et le Rachis, la caractérisation a été portée alors sur le bois fibreux et les fibres de ces deux parties. La caractérisation physique concernera la masse volumique des fibres et de la matrice végétale (lignine) ainsi que le taux d’humidité dans les différentes parties de la palme. Les essais mécaniques ont permis de déterminer les caractéristiques mécaniques du bois fibreux et des fibres extraites des deux parties de la palme après le séchage. À l’issue de cette étude, les résultats obtenus montrent l’influence de la position de l’échantillon testé sur les propriétés physico-mécaniques. Ils ont permis également de situer ce type de bois fibreux et ces fibres parmi d’autres résultats de la littérature scientifique et d’envisager de les utiliser dans la mise en œuvre des matériaux composites et dans des éléments d’isolation

Physico-Mechanical Characterization of Composite Materials Based on Date Palm Tree Fibers

The aim of this research is to characterize physico-mechanically fibers extracted from different parts of a palm; This characterization shows that the physico-mechanical properties of this kind of fibers are different from one to another depending on the part from which the tested fiber was extracted. Furthermore, we performed the physico-mechanical characterization of a composite material based on these fibers and matrix Epoxy. Tensile strength tests carried out for composites with different fiber percentages (4, 7, 10 and 15%) reveal that there is an improvement in the mechanical properties of the virgin resin proportional to the fiber mass ratio up to 10%; while a degradation of these properties is observed for a fiber mass ratio of 15%. The rate of 10% corresponds to the highest value of composite modulus of elasticity with an increase of 73% compared to the virgin resin. The results of mechanical and thermo-gravimetric analysis obtained are used to valorize these fibers for possible industrial applications such as thermal insulation