Experimental and modeling study of effective thermal conductivity of polymer filled with date palm fibers

The scope of this article is to evaluate the possibility of using waste date palm wood in polymer matrices to obtain a low thermal conductivity biocomposite material in view to reduce heat losses in buildings. Experimental and numerical investigation of effective thermal conductivity properties of composites were carried out using guarded hot plate method and 3D finite element modeling. Water absorption of composites materials was also investigated. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of the polymer‐based materials decreases with increasing date palm fiber concentration and that the size of fillers has no significant effect. The water test revealed that the composites have a strong tendency to absorb water, particularly with increasing filler contents. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1712–1719, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers