Fiberglass Mesh Research Articles

Comparative study of confining reinforcement used for the rectangular concrete short column

Columns play a major role in reinforced concrete building frames. It is observed that one of the cause of the failure is the insufficient confining reinforcement provided in the columns. The transverse reinforcement provided in the columns also plays a crucial role in preventing the failure of the column under critical conditions. Only the lateral ties used in the columns do not provide safety against deformation and damage. Hence, columns need to be strengthened by providing additional material as a means of confining reinforcement. In this research work, a comparative study of rectangular reinforced concrete short columns is presented. The experimental study of ten different column configurations was carried out using confining materials such as welded wire mesh, ferro cement wall panels, glass fiber mesh, nylon polymer mesh, spot welding, combination of welded wire mesh and chicken mesh, additional diagonal ties and stapled stirrups. Each of the ten configurations consists of three sets of M25 grade columns of size 150×230×550mm. The columns were tested under axial compressive load and the test results were compared with respect to ultimate load carrying capacity of the columns, vertical and lateral deformation of the columns, ductility, practical feasibility and the cost of the columns. The test result shows that the ultimate load carrying capacity of the column for all means of confinement was increased from 16.48 % to 89.24%. A significant improvement in ductility was also observed. Columns confined with nylon polymer mesh (NPM) were found to be efficient and economical as compared to other materials used for confinement.

Influence of Dental Glass Fibers and Orthopedic Mesh on the Failure Loads of Polymethyl Methacrylate Denture Base Resin.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fracture loads of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) complete denture bases reinforced with glass-fiber mesh and orthopedic casting tape (OCT) in comparison to conventional PMMA dentures under artificial aging. Dental fiberglass framework (Group 1) and OCT (Group 2 and 3) reinforced PMMA acrylic dentures were fabricated on the edentulous ridge. Ten PMMA dentures without reinforcement (Group 4) were included as controls. All specimens were placed in a chewing simulator chamber, and fatigue load was applied. To assess the fracture loads, static loads with a universal testing machine were applied. Fractured specimens in each group were evaluated under a scanning electron microscope. The data were statistically analyzed employing analysis of variance and Tukey post-hoc test. The association of denture weight and thickness on fracture load was assessed using Pearson and Spearman correlations. Dental fiberglass (Group 1) displayed the highest fracture load (692.33 ± 751.41 N), and Group 4 (control) exhibited the lowest fracture loads (281.41 ± 302.51 N). Dentures reinforced with fiberglass mesh framework exhibited intact fractures. In contrast, Group 2 and 3 specimens using OCT demonstrated ditching fractures. It was observed that the thickness and weight of all the reinforced specimens influenced the load required to fracture the dentures (p < 0.001). Denture specimens strengthened with OCT (Groups 2 and 3) exhibited failure loads lower than dental fiberglass (Group 1) specimens but higher than unreinforced controls.

Performance of solid masonry columns after strengthening

Brick masonry is one of the widely used materials for the construction of walls and columns in buildings. In many cases, the built walls and columns fail due to excess lateral loads, environmental degradation, and increased loading requirments due to changes in occupancy. In this paper, an experimental was conducted to understand the performance of building columns made of solid clay bricks strengthening with fiberglass and ferrocement techniques materials. In total, six columns were constructed, two columns were control columns (unconfined), two columns were strengthened and confined with fiberglass mesh and plaster, and the other two columns were strengthened and confined with ferrocement. The experimental results showed that the maximum axial load of unconfined specimens can be increased if they are confined by fiberglass or ferrocement systems. Both systems can be used to repair uncollapsed columns which have been loaded close to failure or exposed to strength deterioration.

Compressive and Diagonal Tension Strengths of Masonry Prisms Strengthened with Amorphous Steel Fiber-Reinforced Mortar Overlay

A technique for strengthening masonry walls by plastering with amorphous steel fiber-reinforced mortar (ASFRM) is investigated through compressive and diagonal tension tests for masonry prisms. The vertical joint between masonry units was not completely filled with mortar to mimic poor workmanship, which is typically reflected in low-cost buildings. The test variables include the number and thickness of mortar overlays, fiber volume fraction, and additional reinforcement using glass fiber mesh or shear connectors. In most strengthened specimens, the ASFRM is not damaged but separated from the masonry prisms after its maximum strength is reached. Additional tests for the bond strength between the ASFRM overlay and masonry surface are conducted to evaluate its contribution to the strengthening effects. Based on experimental observations, equations for predicting the compressive and diagonal tension strengths of masonry prisms strengthened with ASFRM are proposed. The compressive strength can be predicted more accurately by considering the asymmetrical distribution of compressive stress when strengthening is performed on only one side. The diagonal tension strength after strengthening can be predicted by incorporating the contribution of the bond strength between the ASFRM overlay and masonry prism to the initial strength.

Combined Effect of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Steel Fibre and Glass Fibre Mesh on Novel Two-Stage Expanded Clay Aggregate Concrete against Impact Loading

The use of expanded clay aggregate (ECA) for developing lightweight concrete results in strength-reduction properties. However, the ECA-based concrete strength properties can be improved by adding steel fibre (SF), glass fibre mesh (GFM) and multi-walled nano-carbon tubes (MWCNT). The combined effect of MWCNT, GFM, SF and ECA-based concrete and its strength properties is still unexplored. It is worth drawing a logical conclusion concerning the impact on the strength of concrete by incorporating the materials mentioned above. Two-stage expanded clay aggregate fibrous concrete (TECAFC) is a new concrete type and an emerging research area in material engineering. The casting method of TECAFC includes the two essential phases as follows. First, ECA and fibres are filled into the empty cylindrical mould to develop a natural skeleton. Second, the grout comprising cement, sand and MWCNT, are injected into the developed skeleton to fill voids. In this research, eight mixtures were prepared with 0.1 and 0.2% of MWCNT, 2.5% dosage of SF and three different layers of GFM inserted between the two layers of concrete. These eight mixtures were divided into two series of three mixtures each, in addition to two reference mixtures that include no SF or GFM. The first series of mixtures was comprised of 0.1% of MWCNT and 2.5% of SF and one, two and three layers of GFM insertion. The second series was the same as the first series and the dosage of MWCNT was taken as 0.2%. All cylindrical specimens were tested under drop mass impact as per the suggestions made by the ACI Committee 544. The test results showed that incorporating steel fibres and GFM improved the cracking and failure impact resistance by more than 270 and 1100%, respectively, and increased the impact ductility index by more than 220%, significantly contributing to steel fibres.

Comparison of the Masticatory Force (with 3D Models) of Complete Denture Base Acrylic Resins with Reline and Reinforcing Materials.

The reinforcement of acrylic denture base remains problematic. Acrylic prosthesis fractures are commonly observed in prosthodontic practice and have not been reliably resolved. This study compared the resistance to masticatory force of acrylic bases of removable complete conventional prosthesis in 3D upper models. Forty acrylic base test specimens containing two types of reinforcement meshes (20 with glass fiber meshes (FIBER-FORCE®- Synca, Bio Composants MédicauxTM, Tullins, France), 20 with metal meshes (DENTAURUM®-Ispringen, Germany)), 20 with a conventional PMMA acrylic base (LUCITONE 199®-Dentsply Sirona, York, PA, USA), and 20 using a permanent soft reline material (MOLLOPLAST-B®-DETAX GmbH & Co. KG, Ettlingen, Germany) were tested—a total of 80 specimens. Half of the specimens were made for a low alveolar ridge and half for a high alveolar ridge. The data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance and Student’s t-test for independent test specimens. In the high-alveolar-ridge group, the prosthesis reinforced with the glass fiber mesh was the most resistant to fracture, while in the low-alveolar-ridge group, the non-reinforced prosthesis showed the highest resistance masticatory force. Prostheses with the permanent soft reline material showed the lowest resistance to fracture in both high and low-alveolar-ridge groups. The results show that the selection of the right reinforcement material for each clinical case, based on the height of the alveolar ridge, may help to prevent prosthesis fractures.

Comparative study of CO2 photoreduction using different conformations of CuO photocatalyst: Powder, coating on mesh and thin film

The use of CuO-based photocatalysts for CO2 photoreduction has been extensively reported in the literature. However, the comparison of the photocatalytic activity and selectivity from the published results becomes difficult due to different experimental conditions (i.e., synthesis method, configuration of photocatalyst, flow rate of gas, water content, light intensity) and reactor geometry employed. Hence, in this work different conformations of CuO-based photocatalyst, namely powder (i.e., synthesized using precipitation, sonochemical and hydrothermal-microwave treatment), coating on glass fiber mesh, and thin film, were tested using the same photoreactor and experimental conditions. All CuO photocatalysts exhibited 100 % product selectivity towards CH4 over CO and the CuO coating on the glass fiber mesh exhibited the highest production of CH4 (56.3 μmol gcat−1 h−1). The morphology, particle size, particle dispersity, and presence of impurities/defects within the CuO photocatalysts had a significant effect on photocatalytic activity. A numerical model, which was built using COMSOL, revealed that the experimental data obtained in this simulated photocatalytic activity study fitted well, however, further optimization was needed.

Structural Behaviour Of Pervious Concrete By Using Synthetic Glass Fibre As Reinforcement

Pervious concrete is a combination of basic concrete material only consisting of cement, coarse aggregate & water. Because pervious concrete will not contains fine aggregate, it is also calledas “nofines ” or “porous” or “permeable “concrete. Pervious concrete also comes under special concretes and willhave more void contentof about 30%. Now a day it is more popular for concrete flat work applications. In this project various literatures has been studied and understand the effects and application of pervious concrete. The main focus of the project is to investigate the behavior of pervious concrete by using synthetic glass fibre mesh as reinforcement and to improve the flexure behavior. Similarly we canfind the compressive strength comparison of pervious concrete by compression strength test using cube specimen with standard size of 150mm x 150mm x150mm) and flexure strength of the pervious concrete is determined by conducting the flexural test on slab specimen of size (600mm x 300mm x 100mm). The synthetic glass fiber mesh is placed in the slab on three different locations, 1. Bottom of the slab, 2.Top of the slab and 3.Both bottom and top of the slab. The flexural test are carried out on three slab specimen and compare the results for determine the structural behavior of slab using synthetic glass fibermesh.

Immobilized cultivation of the red macroalga Ochtodes secundiramea via fluid injection of clonal shoot tissues onto porous mesh panels

This study investigated the feasibility of cultivating clonal red macroalgae on a porous mesh support. Clonal plantlets of macrophytic red alga Ochtodes secundiramea served as the model culture system. The morphology of O. secundiramea is defined by highly-branched shoot tissues. Plantlets were mechanically blended (8000 rpm, 7 s) and allowed to recover for 7 days prior to immobilization. A 2.0 g FW L−1 slurry of 3 mm branched shoot tissues was injected onto a fiberglass mesh with 1.6 mm openings in 0.5 s bursts at pressure of 8 bar and nominal fluid velocity of 1.7 m s−1. Each burst deposited a 25 mg shoot tissue cluster onto the mesh. Clusters were placed on a rectangular pitch at decreasing intervals of 20, 12, 8, and 6 mm (contiguous layer) in order to increase the inoculation density. A parallel array of upright, plantlet-inoculated mesh panels was positioned at the base of an aerated, externally illuminated tank, and enriched artificial seawater medium flowed across both sides of each panel. Biomass growth was linear with time, and increased by a factor of 10 over the 28 day cultivation period. Increasing panel inoculation density from 49 to 114 g FW m−2 panel mesh area doubled panel biomass productivity from 14.5 to 28.6 g FW m−2 day−1. Immobilized plantlets proliferated outward across the mesh surface to form a highly branched, densified shoot tissue mass about 1.5 cm thick, and final panel biomass coverage exceeding 3.0 kg FW per m2 of active panel area was achieved. Overall, the outcomes of this study demonstrate that pressurized fluid injection of clonal plantlets onto a mesh surface, and the subsequent proliferation of the shoot tissues on the mesh to form a contiguous panel, offers potential for the future automation and intensification of red macroalgal biomass production.

Effect of Lightweight Foamed Concrete Confinement with Woven Fiberglass Mesh on its Drying Shrinkage

Drying shrinkage is the major drawback of lightweight foamed concrete (LFC) as reported by many researchers. It is happened due to the loss of water in the capillary of concrete mixture. This problem caused the changes of dimension or volume of the concrete structure which lead to the cracking and failure thus shorten the life performance of the material. Once the water evaporated from the cement paste, it is impossible to replace it back. Thus, this paper studies the drying shrinkage behaviour of LFC with the confinement of woven fiberglass mesh at three different densities were 600kg/m3, 1100kg/m3, and 1600kg/m3. The woven fiberglass mesh implemented in this research is a synthetic textile fabric with an alkali resistance characteristic. The LFC specimens were wrapped 1-layer to 3-layer(s) of woven fiberglass mesh to enhance the drying shrinkage performance. The drying shrinkage test was measured accordance with the ASTM C157 specification and cured under air storage condition. Protein-based foaming agent (NORAITE PA-1) was used to produce the desirable density of LFC. The result shows that confinement of 160g of woven fiberglass mesh significantly improves the drying shrinkage of LFC compared to control and the enhancement also increase as the layer(s) of textile fabric is added from l-layer to 3-layer(s). Besides, the densities of LFC also play an important role to control its drying shrinkage behaviour. As proven at higher density of LFC the reduction of drying shrinkage value can be obtained.

Improving the compressive behavior of RC walls reinforced with ferrocement composites under centric and eccentric loading

This study discusses the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) walls reinforced with different types of ferrocement composites under concentric and eccentric loading. The study incorporated experimental examination and nonlinear finite element analysis of ten RC walls with dimensions of 1000 mm in height, 1500 mm in width, and 150 mm in depth with RC footing with dimensions 1900 mm X 500 mm X 200 mm. The specimens were divided into two groups, one examined under concentric load and the other examined under eccentric load with eccentricity of 50 mm. Also, the structural behavior of the tested walls was validated with numerical development of a finite element model utilizing Ansys 2019-R1 software. Expanded or glass fiber wire mesh ferrocement tested specimens under concentric and eccentric line compression loading exhibited enhanced ultimate loads compared to control specimens. Expanded steel wire mesh reinforcement increased the ductility ratio compared to glass fiber mesh reinforcement. Glass fiber wire mesh produced a higher first cracking load, serviceability load, load carrying capacity, and energy absorption compared to expanded wire mesh. Good agreement between numerical and experimental results in first cracking load, load-carrying capacity, crack pattern, and deflection was found. The agreement between the experimental load carrying capacity and non linear finite element (NLFE) ones is about 86 % with coefficient of variance equals 0.003 and standard deviation of 0.06. The finite element analysis gave suitable estimation for the structural performance of nonlinear ferrocement RC walls.

Mechanical properties and fire-resistance of composites with marble particles

The main aim of this work is to manufacture a composite material based on a natural material (marble) with acceptable mechanical properties and fire resistance, for being used in habitat industry as floor or wall in buildings. Marble used as raw material is the waste powder of quarry or plate manufacturing. To achieve this objective, polyester matrix composites with 50 wt.% of marble and 3 wt.% of glass fiber (short fiber or mesh) were prepared. The novelty of this study is the high percentage of ceramic material added to a polymer matrix composite and the fire resistance study. Samples were characterized mechanically through flexural test, Charpy impact test, compression test and wear resistance by pin-on-disk test. Fracture surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and wear tracks were studied by SEM and 3D optical profilometer. Besides, samples were subjected to fire test using a Bunsen burner at 900 °C for 20 min. Sample temperature at the opposite-to-fire test side was measured with an infrared thermometer. Results show that marble improves mechanical properties of polyester and the effect of the glass fiber depends on its morphology (fiber or mesh). Fire resistance is high, and the fire goes out when the flame is turned off. Furthermore, the mesh maintains the integrity of the sample.

Low-velocity impact response of novel prepacked expanded clay aggregate fibrous concrete produced with carbon nano tube, glass fiber mesh and steel fiber

Recent researches reported that expanded clay aggregate in concrete leads to a notable reduction in strength properties. Nevertheless, the impact response of PEAFC comprising expanded clay aggregate (ECA), multi-walled nano-carbon tubes (MWCNT), steel fiber (SF) and glass fiber mesh (GFM) is still unexamined. It is interesting to draw a sound conclusion regarding the impact response of concretes comprising these four materials. Prepacked expanded clay aggregate fibrous concrete (PEAFC) is a novel type of environmentally sustainable concrete. The development process of PEAFC comprises the following two crucial stages. Firstly, the expanded clay aggregate and fiber are prepacked into the framework in the form of a natural skeleton, followed by grout injection. The skeleton is filled with cement grout comprising multi-walled nano-carbon tubes (MWCNT) obtaining a novel PEAFC. This research investigates the impact response of PEAFC through the drop weight impact test. For this study, forty-one PEAFC mixtures were prepared and divided into five groups. The effect of GFM with different layers and diameters inserted between the two concrete layers was accompanied by incorporating 0.2% of MWCNT and 2.5% dosage of SF. All specimens were tested against drop weight impact according to the guidelines of ACI Committee 544. The studied parameters were the compressive strength, number of the impact causing first crack and failure, impact energy at first crack and failure in addition to impact ductility. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy was utilized to assess the cement grout's microstructural features. The results showed that increasing the diameter of the GFM in between the concrete layers covers a larger crack projection area, which better enhances the crack arresting potential and results in higher impact energy. The GFM diameter increase from 50 mm to 150 mm increased the cracking and failure impact numbers by 49 to 60% and 117 to 152%, respectively. The average percentage improvements in cracking and failure impact numbers due to SF were estimated to be 162 and 670%, respectively. Thus, the SF shared 71 to 96% of the total developments in impact resistance of all mixtures compared to the reference mixture. The addition of 0.2% of MWCNT could adequately fill the nano-pores and nano-cracks resulted in a denser cement grout matrix. The steel fiber was found to be the reinforcement type that leads to the highest improvement contribution in the impact resistance of the tested PEAFC. Despite the use of light weight aggregate, the combined action of GFM, MWCNT and SF could enhance the impact strength of PEAFC. The outcome of this research is to deliver benchmark information for further research work on PEAFC under impact loading.

Strength Parameters of Foamed Geopolymer Reinforced with GFRP Mesh.

The foaming of geopolymers lowers their density, thus opening up new environmental benefits, including acoustic and thermal insulation. At the same time, foaming disturbs the homogeneity of the material, which worsens the strength parameters, and particularly those related to tension, which can be improved by introducing reinforcement. This paper presents the results of research on foamed geopolymers reinforced with glass fiber meshes, a type of reinforcement that provides an adequate bond. The samples tested here were based on three types of coal fly ash, and were foamed with varying doses of hydrogen peroxide. Samples were cured at 40 °C and were tested after 28 days of maturing at ambient temperature. The strength parameters of the synthesized geopolymers were determined via laboratory testing, and were used to evaluate load-bearing capacity models of the tested samples reinforced with glass fiber mesh. The results showed the importance of the type of ash on the strength properties and efficiency of reinforcement. At the same time, a slight deterioration in the glass fibers was noticed; this was caused by the presence of sodium hydroxide solution, which was used as an activator.

Structural behavior of concrete walls reinforced with ferrocement laminates

The present work focuses on experimental and numerical performance of the ferrocement RC walls reinforced with welded steel mesh, expanded steel mesh, fiber glass mesh and tensar mesh individually. The experimental program comprised twelve RC walls having the dimensions of 450 mmx100 mmx1000 mm under concentric compression loadings. The studied variables are the type of reinforcing materials, the number of mesh layers and volume fraction of reinforcement. The main aim is to assess the influence of engaging the new inventive materials in reinforcing the composite RC walls. Non-linear finite element analysis; (NLFEA) was carried out to simulate the behavior of the composite walls employing ANSYS-10.0 Software. Parametric study is also demonstrated to check out the variables that can mainly influence the mechanical behavior of the model such as the change of wall dimensions. The obtained numerical results indicated the acceptable accuracy of FE simulations in the estimation of experimental values. In addition, the strength gained of specimens reinforced with welded steel mesh was higher by amount 40% compared with those reinforced with expanded steel mesh. Ferrocement specimens tested under axial compression loadings exhibit superior ultimate loads and energy absorbing capacity compared to the conventional reinforced concrete one.

Influence of Bi-directional Fibreglass Grid Reinforcement on Drying Shrinkage and Mechanical Properties of Lightweight Foamed Concrete

This experimental work is about the study of drying shrinkage followed by strength testing of lightweight foamed concrete (LFC) specimens with the confinement of woven fiberglass mesh (FGM) at three different densities. The LFC specimens were wrapped with 1-layer to 3-layer(s) of FGM for cube and cylinder specimens and in beam specimen, it was centrally spread along the longitudinal axis. The specimens were cured under air storage conditions and the drying shrinkage test was carried following ASTM C157/C 157M specification on three prism-shaped ‘75mmx75mmx285mm’ specimens. NORAITE PA-1 foaming agent was used to produce the desired density of LFC. All of 324 specimens were tested for mechanical properties of LFC. The cast specimens were put to test at 7days, 28days and 56 days. In compression strength test, cube dimensions of 100mm side following BS EN 12390-3:2009 were adopted. The flexural strength was conducted on ‘100mmx100mmx500mm’ beam specimens following BS ISO 1920-8:2009. The specimens ‘100mm in diameter and 200mm in height’ were tested for split tensile strength considering ASTM C496/ C496M-04e1 specifications. The result showed that confinement with 160g/m2 (GSM) of FGM significantly restricts the drying shrinkage of LFC specimens compared to control specimens and it decreases with the increases in layer(s) from l-layer to 3-layer(s) and density of LFC. The testing of the mechanical properties of LFC showed a direct proportionality between strength and LFC density and confinement layer(s). The failure pattern observed in all specimens was either by debonding or splitting of fibers of FGM. Thus, LFC at 1600kg/m3 density confined/reinforced with 3-layers of FGM conquers the good performance in drying shrinkage and strength properties while the poor performance was shown by the unconfined LFC at 600kg/m3 density.

Interlaminar shear strength behaviour of surface treated steel wire mesh/glass fibre reinforced hybrid composite laminate

This research work deals with interlaminar shear behaviour of surface changed glass fiber/ treated steel wire mesh combined epoxy hybrid composites. The glass fiber is immersed with either by 1Normality concentrated sulfuric corrosive solution or sodium hydroxide. The hardened steel wire mesh is likewise surface treated by either electro polishing or sand blasting. The method used for fabrication of laminate is hand layup. The laminate comprising of corrosive treated glass fiber and electro polished or sand blasted tempered steel wire network displays prevalent interlaminar shear property in correlation with the composites made without any surface treatment. The mechanism and effect of surface treatment on glass fibre and steel wire mesh with respect to interlaminar shear behaviour is detailed with micro structure of the deformed region.

Experimental characterization of adobe vaults strengthened with a TRM-based compatible composite

This paper deals with the structural behaviour and strengthening of adobe vaults representative from historical buildings of the city of Yazd, Iran. Eight destructive tests were performed on 1:3 scaled adobe vault models by loading them at 30% of the span in loading–unloading cycles of increasing vertical displacement. The models were tested considering both unstrengthened and strengthened conditions, where the strengthening consisted of an externally bonded low-cost textile reinforced mortar (LC-TRM) composed of a low-cost fiber-glass mesh embedded in earth-based mortar. Three different strengthening strategies were evaluated, namely by testing undamaged models strengthened at the extrados, undamaged models strengthened at the intrados and repaired models strengthened at the intrados. The experimental results show that the adopted LC-TRM composite improves the structural behavior of adobe vaults, by increasing substantially their load-bearing capacity and by changing the failure mechanism to more ductile ones.

Impact response of novel layered two stage fibrous composite slabs with different support type

The performance of novel Layered Two Stage Fibrous Composite slabs (LTSFC) was pioneered under falling mass collisions using a combined experimental and numerical study. Such LTSFC slabs consist of three layers with and without the insertion of glass fibre mesh between the layers. LTSFC techniques were used to fabricate the composite slabs with three layers including 3%, 1.5%, and 3% of fibre content for the top, middle, and bottom layers respectively. Sixteen MLPAFC square slabs were cast with only short hooked end fibres and tested under falling mass collisions by amending two parameters namely the type of support (fixed and hinge) and support layout. Two distinct support layouts on two types of support were considered and tested with and without the glass fibre mesh between layers of LTSFC. A glass fibre mesh was introduced between the three layers to block crack growth propagation and absorb additional collision energy. The glass fibre mesh insertion between the layers and the LTSFC production technique were considered as novel modifications. A numerical study using Auto desk Fusion 360 was conducted and compared with experimental results. The numerical results showed fair agreement with the experimental test results. Based on the validated numerical models, collision energy and cracking pattern evolution were studied. The findings indicated that the glass fibre mesh insertion between the layers combined with steel fibres disrupted crack proliferation, thus exhibiting superior engrossed collision energy and postponing crack growth. Additionally, the engrossed collision energy at crack initiation and ultimate crack for the slabs with four sides fixed and hinged support were greater with respect to two opposite sides fixed and hinged support. Numerical values were in reasonable agreement with the experimental values in terms of collision energy and cracking patterns.

MANUFACTURE OF LIGHTWEIGHT PREFABRICATED PANELS EMPLOYING MINE TAILINGS

The present study describes the incorporation of mine tailings from the silver mine La Guitarra in the manufacture of lightweight prefabricated panels (LPPs). Tailings have concentrations of heavy metals below the maximum permissible levels according to Mexican regulations. Their acidity potential (AP) of 2.22 kg of CaCO 3 per tailings ton, along with their lack of neutralization potential (NP), indicates a possibility for the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD). It was reported that concrete could be employed to prevent AMD, thus we proposed to stabilize mine tailings with different concrete ratios and employ these mixtures to fabricate concrete panels. To obtain lightweight panels, a foaming agent was added to the tailings/concrete mixture. Then, a fiberglass mesh was employed to reinforce the final structure. The resulting LPPs (dimensions: 254 × 139.7 × 12.7 mm) showed a flexural strength of 5.80 ± 0.06 MPa, bulk density of 712 ± 104 kg/m 3 , thermal conductivity of 0.159 ± 0.004 W/m K, mass water absorption of 59 ± 10 %, and net neutralization potential (NNP = NP/AP) > 1.2. According to Mexican regulations, these LPPs are not potential generators of AMD.