Lightweight composite gypsum boards with clay mineral and glass fibre for enhanced fire-resistance

Abstract

The current strategy for developing fire-resistant gypsum boards is mainly based on adding porous materials. However, these additives are generally weaker in strength due to higher porosity and are usually produced via energy-intensive processes with relatively higher costs. This paper presents a novel strategy to fabricate lightweight fire-resistant composite gypsum boards through the synergistic coupling of naturally abundant clay mineral - palygorskite (0–30 wt%) and cost-effective glass fibre (0.5 wt%). The bulk density of the obtained boards decreases from 1059 (0 wt% palygorskite addition) to 795 kg/m3 (30 wt% palygorskite). Attributed to the higher initial porosity, reduced shrinkage above 650 °C, and the decomposition of CaSO4 above 925 °C to absorb heat, the ambient side temperature of a composite gypsum board after a 90-min standard fire test is reduced significantly by 150 °C. The new board shows a commendable post-fire strength of 0.15 MPa and fewer cracks than commercial products, which are caused by increased porosity and the bridging effect of glass fibre and sintered palygorskite particles. Through the effective integration of in-situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction, thermal mass loss/heat exchange, and thermal dilatometry, the real-time thermal behaviours of composite gypsum boards are characterised, and the microstructure, physical and mechanical properties and fire resistance are investigated.