Development of sandwich composites for building construction with locally available materials

Abstract

A sandwich composite comprising ferrocement skins was developed as the primary structural module for building construction with indigenous materials. The indigenous reinforcement systems selected for use in ferrocement skins were jute burlap and chicken mesh (flexible galvanized steel wire). These reinforcement systems were characterized through performance of tension tests. The tensile strength, stiffness and ductility of jute burlaps were found to compare favorably with those of chicken mesh which is a viable reinforcement for use in ferrocement. Tension tests on ferrocement sheets indicated that indigenous reinforcement ratios above a threshold level could induce multiple cracking and strain-hardening behavior, producing a desired balance of tensile strength and ductility. The tensile strength of indigenous ferrocements with jute burlap reinforcement exceeded the theoretically predicted values, which could be attributed to the favorable interactions of the burlap reinforcement with the inorganic matrix, and the strengthening effects of hydrates precipitating within the yarn voids in burlap. Experiments were conducted to determine the bond strength and the required development length of the indigenous reinforcement in cementitious matrix. Indigenous sandwich composites comprising ferrocement skins with jute burlap reinforcement and an aerated concrete core made of lime-gypsum matrix and saponin foaming agent were fabricated and subjected to flexure testing. The sandwich composite provided relatively high flexural strengths; the flexural failure modes indicated that the relatively dense aerated concrete core makes important contributions to the flexural performance of the sandwich composite.

Physio-Microstructural Properties of Aerated Cement Slurry for Lightweight Structures

“…Aerated cementitious materials (e.g., aerated concrete) have been developed mostly to provide thermal insulation qualities [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. This work focused on the development of aerated slurries with a relatively low density and modulus and viable strength for use as matrix in structural composites as investigated in our previous studies [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. This aerated slurry-infiltrated mesh is developed as a construction material that offers qualities intermediate between wood and concrete.…”

Effect of stainless-steel wire mesh embedded into fibre-reinforced polymer facings on flexural characteristics of sandwich structures

“…These have been used in civil engineering applications as reinforcement material for sandwich concretes due to their better impact absorbing capacity. [38][39][40] Also, they have been used in mechanical engineering applications to improve heat transfer. 41,42 According to the results obtained by Joseph et al 38 and Matalkah et al 39 stacking the wire mesh stainless steel in sandwich structures has positively affected the bending rigidity of the specimens.…”

“…[38][39][40] Also, they have been used in mechanical engineering applications to improve heat transfer. 41,42 According to the results obtained by Joseph et al 38 and Matalkah et al 39 stacking the wire mesh stainless steel in sandwich structures has positively affected the bending rigidity of the specimens. Sakthivel and Vijayakumar 43 investigated the hybridisation effect of glass fibre/epoxy composite with stainless steel wire mesh sheets on mechanical properties in terms of tensile strength, flexural strength, inter delamination and low-velocity impact properties.…”

Investigating the performance of GFRP/wood-based honeycomb sandwich panels for sustainable prefab building construction

“…The optimum performance in term of facing material and processing condition was determined. Matalkah et al [17] also utilized locally available indigenous materials to develop sandwich structures for building construction. The chicken mesh of galvanized steel wire and jute were used for skins and aerated concrete (lime-gypsum) was selected for the core.…”