Study of the insulation and mechanical properties of hair-reinforced epoxy

Abstract

This research reports the study of epoxy reinforced with human hair as a potential building material for the purpose of acoustic and thermal insulation for building industry. The sound insulation and thermal conductivity were studied for an epoxy composite reinforced with 15% human hair, together with a set of mechanical properties (tensile strength and flexural strength). The sound insulation results proved that the addition of hair led to about 75% loss of the sound intensity compared to the sound intensity noticed for the unreinforced specimen. Thermal conductivity decreased by about 20% with reinforcement. Mechanical properties show a significant improvement, such that flexural strength increased by 25%. The tensile test results showed a higher Young’s modulus and tensile strength for the reinforced specimen by about 50% and 27% respectively. Finally, flexural strength also showed an increase by about 20% after reinforcement.