Research of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Composite Material Based on Gypsum and Straw

Abstract

This article is focused on the investigation of the mechanical and thermal properties of composite material that could be used for the production of plaster or plasterboards. This composite material is made of gypsum and reinforcing natural fibers. The article verifies whether this natural reinforcement can improve the investigated properties compared to conventional plasters and gypsum plasterboards made of pure gypsum. From this composite material, high-strength plasterboards could then be produced, which meet the higher demands of users than conventional gypsum plasterboards. For their production, natural waste materials would be used efficiently. As part of the development of new building materials, it is necessary to specify essential characteristics for their later use in civil engineering. Crushed wheat straw and three gypsum classes with strengths G2 (2 MPa)—gypsum class I., G5 (5 MPa)—gypsum class II. and G16 (16 MPa)—gypsum class III. were used to create the test samples. Samples were made with different ratios of the two ingredients, with the percentages of straw being 0%, 2.5%, and 5% for each gypsum grade. The first part of the article describes how the increasing proportion of straw affects the composite’s mechanical properties (flexural strength and compressive strength). The second part of the article focuses on the change of thermal properties (thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity). The last part of the article mentions the verification of the fire properties (single-flame source fire test and gross heat of combustion) of this composite material. The research has shown that the increasing proportion of straw reinforcement caused a deterioration in the flexural strength (up to 56.49% in the 3. series of gypsum class II.) and compressive strength (up to 80.27% in the 3. series of gypsum class III.) and an improvement in the specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity (up to 31.40% in the 3. series). This composite material is thus not suitable for the production of high-strength plasterboards, but its reduced mechanical properties do not prevent its use for interior plasters. Based on the performed fire tests, it can be said that this composite material can be classified as a non-flammable material of reaction to fire Classes A1 or A2. From an ecological point of view, it is advantageous to use a composite material with a higher straw content.