CASTOR OIL-BASED BUILDING MATERIALS REINFORCED WITH FLY ASH, CLAY, EXPANDED PERLITE AND PUMICE POWDER

This paper reports the results of a study conducted to evaluate the influence of class C fly ash (FA), clay (C), expanded perlite (EP), pumice powder (PP) and epoxidized castor oil (ECO) on the density, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, tensile strength, abrasion loss and water absorption of building material. Density, thermal conductivity, compressive strength and tensile strength decreased with the increase of ECO and FA as replacement for building material. These properties also decreased with increasing process temperature. The addition of clay in the building material had an increasing effect on these properties. The addition of clay decreased abrasion loss and water absorption as a function of replacement percent. The minimum thermal conductivity and maximum water absorption observed for the sample made with minimum clay and maximum FA-ECO ratios processed at the highest process temperature. The maximum compression-tensile strengths and minimum abrasion loss observed for the sample with maximum clay and minimum FA-ECO ratios processed at the lowest process temperature.