Tannery Shavings and Mineral Additives as a Basis of New Composite Materials

Abstract

This paper analyses the possibility of using tannery shavings as a basis for new composite materials with specified properties. The new material was made by combining tannery shavings with an adhesive medium. Mineral additives, such as dolomite, kaolin and bentonite were used in an amount of 5% and 10% of the total mass of shavings as a filler. In order to point out the influence of mineral additives on the final composite structure, some physico–mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and elasticity were examined with the use of static tensile tests. The second part of the investigation involved the analysis of wetteability by immersion, because this property depends on several aspects, such as surface roughness and the material structure. Thus, changes in wetteability values can provide information about the impact of mineral additives on the material properties of composites. With regard to physico–mechanical and sorption properties obtained on the basis of experimental results, it was possible to define areas of possible applications of these materials in comparison with current methods.