Bioinspired cementitious-polymer composite for increased energy absorption

T Trevor Painter,Eric Jacques,Alexander S Brand,Emily Schwab,Nicole Maccrate,S Pantelakis,G Lampeas,K Tserpes

doi:10.1051/matecconf/202134901012

Abstract

Preliminary results are presented on the energy absorbing characteristics of a cementitious-polymer architecture bioinspired by the organic-inorganic composite structure of nacre. The proposed bioinspired architecture consists of an open cell, platelet-shaped 3D-printed thermoplastic lattice filled with high performance cementitious paste. The hypothesis is that, similar to nacre, the platelet arrangement and differences in mechanical properties of the thermoplastic lattice and cementitious platelets would result in increased energy absorption. Initial laboratory scale investigations were performed using notched beam samples subjected to static three-point bending. Stereo-digital image correlation was used to track global strain displacement field and Hillerborg’s method was used to estimate the total fracture energy. The results indicate that this “brick-and-mortar” hierarchy can increase the energy absorbing capacity of the composite by upwards of 2490% compared with the benchmark cementitious specimen. The load-deformation behaviour and total fracture energy of the bioinspired composite were found to be influenced by the platelet arrangement and size and the lattice thickness.

Highlights

The data in the literature indicates an increasing trend in the damage caused by natural disasters [1], which imposes the need for more resilient civil infrastructure [2,3]
To mimic the “brick-and-mortar” structure of nacre, high performance cementitious paste was used as the “brick” with a 3D-printed thermoplastic lattice as the “mortar.” The cementitious paste consisted of an ASTM C150 Type I/II portland cement with 10% ASTM C1240 silica fume by weight
A bioinspired nacreous composite was investigated for civil infrastructure application

Summary

Introduction

The data in the literature indicates an increasing trend in the damage caused by natural disasters [1], which imposes the need for more resilient civil infrastructure [2,3]. Energy absorbing composites are effective in these scenarios to dissipate energy under static, quasistatic, dynamic, and high strain rate loading environments [4,5]. The challenge is to design a composite that exhibits both high strength and high toughness; conventional materials often have a trade-off of high strength with low toughness, like glass or concrete, or low strength with high toughness, like rubber. One solution is to take inspiration from nature, where evolution has improved mechanical performance by functional adaptation in hierarchical architectures [6]. Bioinspired hybrid materials have proven to demonstrate both high strength and high toughness [7]. Bone and seashells are composed of relatively https://doi.org/10.10 51/matecconf /202134901012 weak components, but the hierarchical architecture of their microstructure offers significantly greater stiffness, strength, and toughness [8]

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Conclusion