<p> This study develops a novel sandwich composite material using plant based materials for potential use in nonstructural building applications. The face sheets comprise woven hemp fabric and a sap based epoxy, while the core comprises castor oil based foam with waste rice hulls as reinforcement. Mechanical properties of the individual materials are tested in uniaxial compression and tension for the foam and hemp, respectively. The sandwich composite is tested in 3 point bending. Flexural results are compared to a finite element model developed in the commercial software Abaqus, and the validated model is then used to investigate alternate sandwich geometries. Sandwich model responses are compared to existing standards for nonstructural building panels, showing that the novel material is roughly half the strength of equally thick drywall. When space limitations are not an issue, a double thickness sandwich biocomposite is found to be a structurally acceptable replacement for standard gypsum drywall.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1527682 |
| Date | 06 June 2014 |
| Creators | Chan, Kyle E. |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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