Physico-mechanical and thermal properties of chemical admixture modified bamboo reinforced gypsum-cement composite

• Main Authors: Akinyemi, Banjo Ayobami, Orogbade, Blessing, Kayode, Jolayemi, Alaba, Peter Adeniyi
• Format: Article
• Published: Taylor and Francis Ltd. 2023
• Subjects: TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General); TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/39523/

This study seeks to modulate the properties of gypsum-fibre-cement composite with 0.05 and 0.1 grammes of water proof chemical admixture. The effect of these additions on the prolonged water absorption (PWA), mechanical properties and thermal degradation were studied. Sample with composition of 50:50 of cement:gypsum + admixture + fibre had minimal PWA due to the development of silane based lamellar structure. This structure similarly led to significant enhancement in the values of compressive strength (max at 23 MPa), modulus of rupture (max at 10 N/mm(2)) and modulus of elasticity (max at 5542 N/mm(2)) respectively. The thermal degradation curves from TG/DTA analysis showed that composition of 50:50 gypsum:cement + additive + fibre was thermally more stable than the remaining samples due to the influence of the added natural fibres which acted as the insulator. Thus, the water absorption potential was largely dependent on the presence of the added chemical admixture while the synergy among the fibre, gypsum and cement were responsible for the enhanced thermo-mechanical properties.