Evaluation of MOR and permeability of investment casting ceramic mould with oil palm fibre additive

The abundance and cheap organic fibre offers an alternative additive to enhance the ceramic strength aside from its biodegradable benefit promoting sustainability. In this study, the utilisation of oil palm fibre in a water-based silica binder as a substitute for the expensive liquid polymer addition in investment casting mould was explored. Different lengths of oil palm fibres (3, 5, 7, 9 mm) were incorporated in the preparation of ceramic moulds namely green (dewaxed and non-dewaxed), and fired for modulus of rupture (MOR) and permeability test. The results show that the non-dewaxed and dewaxed moulds with 3 mm fibre modification recorded the highest strength; 2.14 and 3.51 MPa respectively compared to the no-fibre (non-dewaxed, 1.56 MPa and dewaxed, 2.26 MPa) moulds. A higher permeability (5.36 m2 × 10–6) was recorded by the fired mould with 3 mm fibre modification. The distinguished properties of the fibre-modified system make it a potential alternative for the standard investment casting industry application.