Category: Transient Plane Source
Author(s): Farnaz Batool, Muhammad Mamun, Vivek Bindiganavile
Keywords: cement, cement based foams, concrete, construction, density, fibre reinforcement, flexural toughness, foam, polypropylene fibre, scanning electron micrograph (sem), sodium sulphate (na2so4), sulphate, thermal conductivity, transient plane source (tps), transient plane source (tps) method, volume, x-ray diffraction
Abstract: This paper investigates the effect sulphate exposure has on the thermal conductivity and mechanical strength of low density cement based foams, with and without microfiber reinforcement. This was done by exposing these cement foams to sulfphate over 90 days. The compressive strength and flexural toughness displayed a cyclic rise and fall for the plain sample, and the opposite for the reinforced sample. The thermal conductivity showed an initial rise, but then declined for both the plain and reinforced samples. The rise is caused by the deposition of products formed by the sulphate reacting with the cement. The decline is due to cracks beginning to form in the material, due to the continued deposition of products.
Reference: Construction and Building Materials, 61 (2014) 312-319
DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.03.006