Caracterización mecánica y térmica de paneles tipo sánduche obtenidos a base de residuos de fibra de coco

Abstract

To satisfy the necessity of reducing the vegetal origin solid wastes and the development of novel materials thermo-acoustic isolations, this work characterizes the mechanic and thermal properties of coconut fiber flat sandwich panels, and its components. Furthermore, it is performed the acoustic characterization of diverse materials such as: UF resin compact boards reinforced with coconut powder, coconut nonwoven structures and natural latex, and sandwich panels of variable thickness made with nonwoven coconut fiber cores and powder or plaster board laminae. With this purpose, this work has an experimental focus involving the process of mechanical extraction from raw materials, the construction of boards and nonwovens, as well as the assembly of sandwich panels. A parametric study was performed for the boar manufacturing process. In this study, the time and temperature processing conditions were fixed, and the resin mass fraction and pressure were changed the optimal combination of 30 % UF and 2,82 MPa was found, which resulted in the best mechanical properties and appearance. The sandwich panel with coconut powder boards and a 45 mm thickness core provides the best performance for thermal and acoustic isolation with a thermal resistivity of 1,478 m2K/W and an acoustic reduction of 49 dB. These properties compete with those of petrochemical insulating materials and prove the efficiency of this eco-friendly alternative. These results also show the possibility of continuing this study aiming at innovative applications for these products.