A foam concrete reinforced with hooked fiber made from PLA+
Incorporating PLA+ hooked fibers into foam concrete via 3D printing addresses the need for improved mechanical properties and thermal insulation, achieving reduced thermal conductivity and enhanced durability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- KARAMANOĞLU MEHMETBEY ÜNİVERSİTESİ STRATEJİ GELİŞTİRME DAİRESİ BAŞKANLIĞI
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-18
AI Technical Summary
Existing foam concrete lacks improved mechanical properties and thermal insulation efficiency, particularly in reducing heat loss and energy consumption, while conventional plastic fibers have limited biodegradability and thermal resistance.
Incorporation of hooked fibers made from PLA+ material, produced via three-dimensional printing, into foam concrete to enhance mechanical strength and thermal insulation, utilizing their high thermal resistance and biodegradability.
The use of PLA+ hooked fibers significantly reduces thermal conductivity and enhances mechanical strength, improving insulation efficiency and durability of foam concrete.
Smart Images
Figure TR2024051572_18062026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] A FOAM CONCRETE REINFORCED WITH HOOKED FIBER MADE FROM PLA+
[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The invention relates to a foam concrete with improved physical and mechanical properties containing hooked fibers produced from PLA+ (Polylactic acid plus) material with a three-dimensional printer, and to a production method of such foam concrete.
[0004] BACKGROUND
[0005] Foam concrete is a type of concrete that contains air bubbles, is lightweight and has high thermal insulation properties. Especially its low density compared to standard concrete is advantageous in terms of not bringing additional load to the building. The production process includes the preparation of materials, foam production by using foam agent with the help of a foam generator, preparation of the mixture and casting and curing stages. Firstly, aggregates such as cement, water and fine sand are mixed to obtain a homogenous mixture. The foaming agent is mixed with water to form foam and this foam is added to the concrete mixture. The ready-mixed concrete foam mixture is poured into molds and left alone, so that the foam concrete gains strength over time and becomes more durable.
[0006] PLA+ is an advanced type of bioplastic produced by adding flexibility and durability compared to traditional PLA. It is produced from natural raw materials such as PLA, is in the class of high temperature resistant and environmentally friendly materials. In recent years, it has been widely used in various industrial applications such as automotive, textile and medical. Thanks to their ease of processing, they are more sustainable than traditional plastics and can be produced with three-dimensional printing support in these sectors. Compared to conventional plastic fibers, they are more biodegradable. They can also tolerate temperature changes better because they have good thermal resistance.
[0007] PLA+ fibers also increase the impact resistance of materials. Thus, the material is more resistant to mechanical shocks. Especially mechanical parts and functional prototypes reinforced with these fibers have longer lifetimes. Due to their high tensile stress and good stretching, they also reduce the risk of fracture in the materials they are used in. Their low density is favorable to produce light and durable composite materials. They increase the abrasion resistance of the materials they reinforce. There is almost no application on concrete.
[0008] AIM OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The aim of the invention is to produce a lightweight building material with low thermal conductivity by using hook type PLA+ fiber (lighter than other plastic fibers) obtained by three-dimensional printing method in the production of foam concrete. Thus, with this material, which has a lower thermal conductivity compared to existing foam concrete applications, it is aimed to have better mechanical properties while reducing heat loss and related energy consumption. In foam concrete, it is aimed to develop and disseminate more environmentally friendly and heat efficient insulation materials with the use of innovative PLA + fiber, which provides these advantages.
[0010] FIGURE LIST
[0011] Figure 1 . Representative representation of hooked fiber form produced from PLA+ material
[0012] Correspondence of the numbering given in the figure:
[0013] 1. Base
[0014] 2. Cross surfaces
[0015] 3. Arm
[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The invention relates to a foam concrete product reinforced with hooked fiber produced from PLA+ material by means of a three-dimensional printer, and to a method of production of this product. The figures given below are used for the understanding of the technique without any restriction purpose. The expressions used for limitation purposes are also indicated separately.
[0018] The first of the building materials used for the production of foam concrete, which is one of the ingredients of the invention, is 42.5 R white Portland cement. This cement is widely used in the production of aggregate-free foam concrete and provides the hydration reaction with water. Foams of 75 kg / m3produced with the help of a foam generator (5 bar constant pressure) are combined with a mixture of cement and water. Hooked fiber production was carried out using PLA+ fibers at 220 C° extruder temperature (Figure 1 ). The form referred to as the hook structure; describes the crossrising surfaces (2) from the two ends of a flat base (1 ) and then two arms (3) extending parallel to the base. Base length, cross-rising surfaces and hook arm lengths can be variable. The most important reason why PLA+ fibers are preferred in the production of the hooked structure is their light weight, high thermal resistance and flexible structure. The reason why the form of the structure is in the form of hooks shown in Figure 1 is that it has a larger surface area thanks to these hooks. This larger surface area allows the fiber to be better integrated into the foam concrete and makes the load transfer more efficient due to the increased friction between the concrete and the fiber compared to the unhooked fiber. In addition, the fact that PLA+ fibers are made entirely from environmentally friendly raw materials and are fully recyclable paves the way to produce a sustainable building material.
[0019] Three-dimensional printer with FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) production technology was preferred during fiber production from PLA+ material. During production, layer heights were taken as 0.4 mm in the printer. 50 mm / sec. was preferred as printing speed. The temperature of the printing table was selected as 60 C° for proper writing process. The most important reason for these preferences is to obtain high quality and appropriate printing.
[0020] The produced hooked fibers were allowed to rest at room temperature for 24 hours to cool and stabilize. Afterwards, hooked PLA+ fibers were added to the mixture of cement, water and foam at a ratio of 1 % by volume in the mixture.
[0021] The thermal conductivity coefficient of currently produced fiber-free foam concretes is 0.20 W / mK on average (for 25 cm thick block). The thermal conductivity coefficient of PLA+ fiber reinforced foam concrete produced by the inventive method is 0.151 W / mK (for 5 cm). According to the 28-day compression and flexural test results, it was observed that 1 % hooked PLA+ reinforced foam concrete caused improvement compared to the sample without fibers. Accordingly, the compressive and flexural strength values of 1.74 MPa and 0.53 MPa were obtained in foam concrete reinforced with 1 % hooked PLA+, which were 1.34 MPa and 0.36 MPa, respectively, in the reference (28 days). In addition, mechanical strengths were significantly improved. According to the results of freeze-thaw tests, mass loss was obtained as 1 .35% after 15 cycles. This value is below the currently accepted limit value of 5%. These results show that the product subject to our invention, when used as insulation material under appropriate conditions, can significantly reduce heat loss in buildings. In addition, considering the improved mechanical properties, the service time and performance will be significantly improved. It will also constitute a good example for the use of PLA+ fiber in the concrete sector.
Claims
CLAIMS1 . A reinforced foam concrete characterized by comprising hooked fibers made of PLA+ material.
2. The reinforced foam concrete according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising cement, water and foam together with hooked fibers made of PLA+ material.
3. The reinforced foam concrete according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the mixture further comprises 1 % by volume of hooked fibers made of PLA+ material.
4. The reinforced foam concrete according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by comprising a base (1), cross surfaces (2) and two arms (3) in continuation of the cross surfaces (2).
5. A method of producing foam concrete with PLA+ fiber reinforced material comprising the steps below:- Producing PLA+ hooked fibers with a three-dimensional printer,- Keeping it at room temperature for a day to cool and stabilize,- Addition of the produced hooked PLA+ fibers to the produced foam and cement slurry at 1% by volume,- Keeping the produced concrete under curing conditions for 28 days.