This work focuses on the assessment of oil palm mesocarp fibers as reinforcement in a composite material with an unsaturated polyester matrix. Several volume ratios of OPMF reinforcement (0 to 15%) were used, the fibers being distributed randomly. The resulting composite was characterized on the physical and mechanical aspects. Physically, the true and apparent densities were determined as well as the porosity rate. It appears that the addition of fibers further lightens the composite and increases the porosity. The water absorption rate of the different composites samples was evaluated. The more fibers the composite contains, the higher its water absorption rate. On the mechanical aspect, the bending modulus of elasticity, bending stress at break, and breaking strain were evaluated through a three-point bending test on all combinations. The same parameters were also evaluated for certain combinations by a unidirectional tensile test. It appears from this mechanical characterization that the volume fraction of 5% reinforcement has the highest specific modulus. Impact tests were performed on samples of this combination using several sizes of reinforcing fibers. Impact resistance is enhanced as the size of the inclusion increases. The Halpin-Tsai micromechanical model for randomly distributed short fiber composites was used for the inverse approach determination of the theoretical moduli of the matrix and OPMF, then in a direct approach to determine the elastic modulus of the composite at 7.5% reinforcement.

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Unpailt roads are generally subject to erosion, when they need to be bitumen, civil engineers need to know the geotechnical capabilities of the soil layers to be used as support, among these capabilities, for example, soil characteristics to withstand erosion. CBR has often been used to classify these soils according to their compaction. In this article, we propose a correlation between CBR and eroded soil mass through a simulator. Indeed, in this article we show that using a simulator, soils can be classified according to their ability to withstand water erosion, whether internal or external. Indeed it is shown that the mass of eroded soil is related to the compaction capacity of the soil just as the CBR also has. We study the effects and influence of soil compaction on the ability of an unpaved road to resist erosion caused by falling raindrops. To do this, lateritic soil is submitted to different compaction pressures. The compacted soil is then submitted to CBR test and rain fall through a mini rain simulator. Correlations between eroded soil masse and compaction pressure as well as CBR are derived. The study shows that the compaction reduces the erodibility and increases the bearing capacity of soil. The formula obtained is significant because we have a new way of evaluating soils in the laboratory.

The purpose of this study is to determine the morphological, microstructural characteristics and water diffusion parameters of the Canarium schweinfurthii (CS) shellnut. This work is part of a vast project to valorize the above-mentioned cores for possible industrial use as charges in composites or abrasives materials. The study was based on the characterization of intrinsic physical characteristics of the coreshells scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations desorption, adsorption and absorption kinetics. The water diffusion phenomenon was modeled and it appears that the Page model well predicted the kinetic of drying, absorption and adsorption. The effective diffusion coefficient and the energy of activation were calculated at three isothermal temperatures (50˚C, 70˚C and 90˚C). There was a tendency for hysteresis in the sorption-desorption cycles. These results strongly predicted the possibility of using these products as a filler in composites, clay building materials and cement because of their high water diffusion stability on a macroscopic scale.

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