Assessment of Properties of Composite Boards from Groundnut Shells and Sawdust for their suitability for Structural Applications

Abstract

conductivity, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, thermal inertia, availability, and flexural strength. The results revealed improvement in the samples' thermal insulation performance as the SDP proportion increased from 0% to 100%. Though samples fabricated with 50 % each of the SDP and GSP exhibited a balance in the thermophysical and mechanical properties, all the samples could ensure better thermal insulation than conventional ceilings such as Isorel and plywood. Generally, the samples can be used as ceiling panels or partition elements in building design. This idea of utilizing groundnut shells and sawdust to develop composite panels for building purposes, as described herein, has been reported for the first time. It could help to ensure the construction of affordable and thermally safe buildings while solving the problems associated with their disposal.