Author(s)

Zogo Tsala Simon Armand¹, Noah Pierre Marcel Anicet^2,3, Ayissi Zacharie Merlin⁴, Betene Ebanda Fabien^2,3, Nkenne Youmba Judide³, Kenmogne Fabien⁵, Atangana Ateba^2,3

¹Department of Civil Engineering, ENSET, University of Ebolowa, Ebolowa, Cameroon.
²Department of Mechanical Engineering, ENSET, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
³Laboratory of Mechanics, University of Douala, Cameroon, Douala, Cameroon.
⁴Laboratory of Energy Materials Modelisation and Method, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
⁵Department of Civil Engineering, ENSET, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.

Current environmental and eco-design issues require the use of environmentally friendly materials. These make up a large share of the building materials market. Natural fibers are already used in various types of materials, such as plastics, concrete and lime-based products. They exhibit different attributes like the right combination of mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties, allowing these types of materials to be used for different applications. The main disadvantage associated with plaster is its fragility, especially under mechanical stress. Therefore, it becomes interesting to study different methods that could improve the mechanical properties of plaster. The addition of fibers to the plaster to obtain a composite material is already recognized as a means of improving the behavior of the product, in particular after the rupture of the matrix. The aim of this work was to study the effects of the addition of natural fibers from the stem of Cola lepidota (CL), on the physical properties and the mechanical behavior of the composite matrix. This study highlights the effects of fiber size and volume fraction. It has been shown that the mass of composites decreases as the percentage and length of fibers increases. The mechanical properties of composite materials are also discussed. Even at low addition rates, CL stem fibers achieved slightly higher values of flexural properties.

Cola lepidota, Vegetable Fiber, Plaster, Composite, Retting, Characterization

Armand, Z. , Anicet, N. , Merlin, A. , Fabien, B. , Judide, N. , Fabien, K. and Ateba, A. (2022) Elaboration and Characterization of a Plaster Reinforced with Fibers from the Stem of Cola lepidota for Industrial Applications. World Journal of Engineering and Technology, 10, 824-842. doi: 10.4236/wjet.2022.104054.