Predicting Insulation And Structural Response Of Foamed Concrete Panel
Loading...
Date
2015-07
Authors
Ganesan, Shankar
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Lightweight foamed concrete (LFC) is produced by mortar or cement paste in which air-voids are entrapped in the mortar by means of suitable foaming agent. Demand and usage of LFC as building material become privileged in construction industry due to many advantages such as lighter weight, controlled low strength and excellent thermal properties. This research mainly focuses on the properties of LFC with various densities and additives with different percentages and also the potential application of LFC wall panel system in terms of structural and fire resistance performance. Three different densities of 700, 1000 and 1400kg/m3 with various additives (Pulverized fuel ash, wood ash, palm oil fuel ash, silica fume, polypropylene fibre, steel fibre and coir fibre) were cast and investigated. Mechanical strength, durability and thermal properties were measured. Coir fibre showed an excellent improvement in the mechanical and thermal behaviour compared to other additives due to its internal molecular structure of the LFC. A high amount of coir fibre is proven to be able to inhibit more water from migrated through LFC specimen. Low density of LFC provided the best thermal insulation properties due to its effectiveness in thermal conductivity. Fibre reinforced LFC wall panel (FRLFC-prototype) with 0.3m x 0.3m and thickness of 0.15m showed an improvement of 27% under axial compression in comparison to the control sample because the fibre has strong resistance under axial compression. FRLFC (1.5m x 0.675m and thickness of 0.15m) also has the ability to diminish the rate of heat transfer because it has improved the interfacial adhesion between fibres and the matrix and exhibited high heat capacity.
Description
Keywords
Lightweight foamed concrete (LFC)