Wavy PLA+ fiber reinforced and expanded glass aggregate added foam concrete
The integration of wavy PLA+ fibers and expanded glass aggregates in foam concrete production via 3D printing addresses the need for improved mechanical and thermal performance, resulting in a lightweight, thermally efficient, and sustainable building material.
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 materials lack improved mechanical properties and thermal insulation, particularly in reducing thermal conductivity and enhancing mechanical strength, while also requiring environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions.
Production of foam concrete using wavy PLA+ fibers and expanded glass aggregates, produced via 3D printing, which are combined with cement and water to create a lightweight, thermally resistant, and mechanically enhanced material.
The resulting foam concrete exhibits reduced thermal conductivity, improved mechanical strength, and increased sound and heat insulation, with potential for reduced energy consumption and extended service life.
Smart Images
Figure TR2024051573_18062026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] WAVY PLA+ FIBER REINFORCED AND EXPANDED GLASS AGGREGATE ADDED FOAM CONCRETE
[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The invention relates to a foam concrete with improved physical and mechanical properties comprising hooked fiber and expanded glass aggregate produced from PLA+ (Polylactic acid plus) material with a three-dimensional printer, and to a method of producing such foam concrete.
[0004] BACKGROUND
[0005] Foam concrete is a type of concrete with air bubbles, lightweight and has a wide range of thermal-based applications. The density is particularly low compared to standard concrete, which is good in that it does not impose an additional load on the building. The production process includes the preparation of materials, making foam using foaming chemicals, preparation of the mixture and preparations for its production. Firstly, building materials such as cement, water and fine sand are mixed to obtain a homogenous mixture. The foaming agent is mixed with water and foam is generated by means of a foam generator and this foam is added to the concrete mixture. The foam concrete mixture is poured into molds with pre-prepared specifications and left to set under suitable curing conditions, so that the foam concrete becomes stronger and harder over time and gains strength and durability accordingly.
[0006] PLA+ is an advanced bioplastic produced for greater flexibility and durability than conventional PLA. Similar to PLA, it is produced from natural raw materials such as corn starch and sugar cane and is classified as high temperature resistant and environmentally friendly material. In recent years, it has been widely used in various industrial applications such as automotive, textile and pharmaceutical industries. These parts, which are better than traditional plastics thanks to their easy processing, can be produced with three-dimensional printing support. It can also be degraded faster than conventional plastic fibers. It can also withstand temperature changes better due to its good thermal tolerance.
[0007] The utilization of PLA+ fibers in the reinforcement of materials significantly improves the impact resistance of the materials. Thus, the material is provided to have a more resistant structure against mechanical shocks. Especially mechanical parts and functional prototypes reinforced with this fiber increase their durability and extend their service life. In addition, they reduce the risk of fracture in the materials they are used in due to their relatively high tensile stresses and good stretching. Their low density is suitable for making flexible and durable composite materials. They increase the abrasion resistance of the materials. There is almost no application on concrete.
[0008] Expanded glass aggregates are a type of low density, porous and environmentally friendly material obtained by high temperature processing of recycled waste glass. Due to their low density, they enable the production of concrete with lower density compared to conventional aggregates in concrete. And accordingly, it is more effective in reducing structural loads than its equivalents. Due to their porous structure, they have good thermal insulation properties and increase the thermal performance of structural elements made of concrete in terms of energy efficiency. Another feature provided by the porous structure is good sound insulation performance. They can be preferred in buildings requiring acoustic performance. Expanded glass aggregates can also be preferred in the production of fire-resistant concrete as they show resistance to high temperatures. Although they are porous, their water absorption capacity is low and they are resistant to various chemical effects.
[0009] In general, the result of the evaluation in terms of strengths is that the addition of expanded glass aggregate reduces the compressive and tensile stresses of concrete. The reduction can be up to 50 per cent depending on the amount and size of glass aggregates used. In order to compensate for this reduction, reinforcing elements such as steel, polypropylene and glass can be used. PLA+ has the potential to be a good alternative to other fibers as it is an environmentally friendly and recyclable material. The use of this type of fiber provides better mechanical performance by reducing the tensile strength of concrete. Thus, it will contribute positively to the expansion of its usage areas.
[0010] AIM OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The aim of the invention is to produce a lightweight building material with low thermal conductivity, improved mechanical properties and light weight by using wavy 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 reduce heat loss and related energy consumption, while having better mechanical properties compared to existing concretes with expanded aggregate. In foam concrete, it is aimed to develop and disseminate more environmentally friendly, sound and heat efficient insulation materials with the use of innovative PLA + fibre that provides these advantages.
[0012] FIGURE LIST
[0013] Figure 1 . Representative illustration of wavy fiber form produced from PLA+ material
[0014] Correspondence of the numbering given in the figure:
[0015] 1. Base
[0016] 2. Wavy surfaces
[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The invention relates to a foam concrete product reinforced with wavy 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 art without any restriction purpose. The expressions used for restriction purposes are stated separately.
[0019] 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 foam concrete production and provides hydration reaction with water. Foams of 85 kg / m3 produced with the help of a foam generator (5.5 bar constant pressure) are combined with a mixture of cement and water.
[0020] Using PLA+ fibers, wavy fiber production was carried out at 220 C° extruder temperature (Figure 1 ). The form referred to as wavy structure describes the wavy parts (2) at the top and bottom of a flat base (1 ). Base length, diagonal rising surfaces and hook arm lengths can be variable. The most important reason why PLA+ fibers are preferred in the production of the wavy structure is their light weight, high thermal resistance and flexible structure. The reason why the form of the structure is formed by means of wavy sections (2) shown in Figure 1 is that it provides a better mechanical locking in foam concrete. For this reason, it is ensured to remain fixed in the concrete and does not show a displacement tendency. This wavy structure makes the load transfer more efficient due to the increase in friction between concrete and fiber compared to the non-wavy fiber. In addition, the fact that PLA+ fibers are made entirely from environmentally friendly raw materials and are completely recyclable paves the way for the production of a sustainable building material.
[0021] 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.
[0022] The produced wavy fibers were allowed to rest at room temperature for 24 hours to cool and stabilize. Afterwards, PLA+ fibers in hooked form were added to the mixture of cement, water, expanded glass aggregate and foam at a ratio of 1% by volume in the mixture.
[0023] Expanded glass aggregates were added to the mixture at the weight rate of 25 % of the cement amount used. The grain range used is between 0.50 and 1.00 mm. They have high heat and sound insulation properties due to their porous structure.
[0024] 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 0.162 W / mK (for 5 cm). According to the 28-day compression and flexural test results, it was observed that the foam concrete with 1% wavy PLA+ and expanded glass aggregates caused mechanical improvement compared to the sample without fibers. Accordingly, the compressive and flexural strength values of 1 .44 MPa and 0.37 MPa were obtained in foam concrete reinforced with 1 % wavy PLA+, which were 1.13 MPa and 0.22 MPa, respectively, in the reference (28 days, without fibers). In addition, mechanical strengths were significantly improved. According to the results of freezethaw tests, mass loss was obtained as 1 .48% after 15 cycles. This value is below the currently accepted value of 5% in practice.
[0025] 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+ wavy fiber in the concrete production sector.
Claims
CLAIMS1 . A reinforced foam concrete characterized by comprising wavy fibers made of PLA+ material.
2. The reinforced foam concrete according to Claim 1 , characterized comprising cement, expanded glass aggregate, water and foam in combination with wavy fibers made of PLA+ material.
3. The reinforced foam concrete according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the mixture comprises 1 % by volume of hooked fibers made of PLA+ material.
4. The reinforced foam concrete according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the mixture comprises expanded glass aggregate added at a rate of 30 % by weight of cement.
5. The reinforced foam concrete according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by comprising a base (1 ) and wavy surfaces (2).
6. A method of producing foam concrete with wavy PLA+ fiber reinforced material characterized by comprising the steps below:- Production of PLA+ hooked fibers with three-dimensional printer,- Keeping it at room temperature for a day to cool and stabilize,- Addition of the produced wavy PLA+ fibers to the produced foam and cement slurry at 1 % by volume,- Keeping the produced concrete under curing conditions for 28 days.