Improving the strength of composite material through the effective modification of the surface of the cellulose filler

An effective technique has been devised in order to increase the strength of arbolite, based on the method of rice husk thermal treatment. Given the fading of the surface layer of the grains during thermal exposure, the accompanying elements are removed from the outer cellulose fibers of the husk structure, that is, the texture of the surface of the material changes. It is known that the strength of multicomponent materials depends on the strength of bonds between the structural elements and the strength of the elements themselves. In arbolite, the strength of the constituent elements is great but the strength of arbolite almost does not exceed 2.5–3.5 MPa. Therefore, one of the factors determining the strength of arbolite is the adhesion strength of its heterogeneous particles. Therefore, a necessary and mandatory condition for the preparation of rice husks is soaking them in water, as well as the use of chemical additives for their treatment. This study's results established that the surface of the modified rice husk is chemically more active than without treatment. The use of chemical additives made it possible to neutralize the effect of extractive aggregates on cement due to the formation of additional chemical bonds in the contact zone and reduce their toxic effect on cement when removed from this zone. As a result of thermal exposure, a new potential property is revealed in the rice husk, which is expressed in the modification of the husk by changing the texture of its surface, which, when mixed with cement, enhances the adhesive adhesion of the surfaces. The rice husk thermal treatment method was employed to increase the class of arbolite to B 2.0 in terms of compressive strength, that is, arbolite of structural purpose was obtained, used as load-bearing structures in low-rise constructio