Fiberglass Mesh Research Articles

Experimental study of expanded polystyrene (EPS) External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) masonery façade reaction-to-fire performance

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) consisting of insulation core and decoration surface materials, are quite common in new constructions and refurbishment buildings with design-oriented goals of sustainability and energy efficiency. However, combustible insulation core has caused serious result due to the ravages of fire disasters. Thermoplastic expanded polystyrene (EPS) acting as an insulation core is widely and vertically installed in ETICS. Presently, with an aim to evaluate EPS ETICS fire performance, a series of EPS ETICS specimen varying EPS thickness from 50 mm to 300 mm, polymer mortar type including SBR polymer mortar and acrylic resin mortar, reinforcement including one layer and two layer’s glass fiber mesh, and opening edge treatment method differs from back-wrapping method to fire barrier method are tested by a large-scale Japanese façade fire propagation method JIS A 1310 with heating intensity from 100 kW to 1100 kW. A comprehensive fire risk evaluation INDEX method of EPS ETICS based on EPS burn area and façade surface temperature profiles of JIS A 1310 tests is proposed. It could easily classify the effects of mortar, reinforcement, EPS thickness and opening edge treatment method on EPS ETICS fire performance. It is concluded that in JIS A 1310 method, the fire risk of EPS ETICS could be classified by INDEX method as the followings: the INDEX ≤ 0.825 is an acceptable level; the INDEX ≥ 0.836 is the unacceptable level; 0.825 ≤ INDEX ≤ 0.836 is the critical level. The fire propagation index (FPI) is believed to be a potential prediction method for EPS ETICS fire risk evaluation before JIS A 1310 tests. The FPI is classified as the followings: the FPI ≤ 17.3 is an acceptable level; the FPI ≥ 21.4 is the unacceptable level; 17.3 ≤ FPI ≤ 21.4 is the critical level.

To evaluate the fracture resistance of maxillary complete dentures reinforced with full and partial glass fibre mesh: An in vitro study

To evaluate the fracture resistance of maxillary complete dentures reinforced with full and partial glass fibre mesh: An in vitro study

OA089] Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy (DaRT): template based treatment planning technique for brachytherapy of squamous cell skin cancer

Purpose The Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy (DaRT) is a novel brachytherapy technique employing 224-Radium enriched seeds releasing short-lived alpha-emitting atoms into the tumor [1] . 1 st patient in Europe was enrolled and treated at IRST and medical physicists provided a tool to plan the brachytherapy treatment in order toimprove the precision and safety of seed insertion. Methods Given the novelty of the technique we refer to an article for its general description (1). The patient underwent a 18-FDG PET ⧹ CT for both metabolic uptake control and lesion definition. A sterile patch was applied on the skin lesion just before the image acquisition and an adhesive fiberglass mesh (spaced by 2 mm) tape was then placed above. The Radiotherapist contoured the lesion and marked possible entrance points for the needles with a radio opaque ink marker. According to the radio opaque marks and metabolic uptake the CTV was defined and with any commercial brachytherapy TPS it is possible to simulate and adjust the spatial seeds distribution. The method described was previously tested on home-made phantom. Before the treatment the template was placed again on the patient and seeds were inserted accordingly to the plan using special applicators. Finally, correct positioning of the seeds was checked again with a post-treatment CT scan. Results The template was correctly placed in position and it was clearly visible in CT(fig1). Through the TPS it was possible to visualize entrance points for the applicator as suggested by the radiotherapist and eventually improve the coverage of the tumor by adding additional seeds. The post-treatment CT allows to evaluate the correspondence between the planned and actual seeds position. Conclusions The procedure implemented in IRST is robust and complete; the method for template definition is a promising tool supporting the Radiotherapoist for precise and safe DaRT delivery.

Flexural characteristics of lightweight ferrocement beams with various types of core materials and mesh reinforcement

Sixteen reinforced concrete beams having the cross-sectional dimensions of 100 × 200 × 2000 mm and clear span of 1800 mm were cast and tested until failure under a single mid-span concentrated load. Ferrocement beams in this research contained either an Autoclaved Aerated lightweight brick Core (AAC), Extruded Foam Core (EFC), or a Lightweight Concrete Core (LWC); and were reinforced with either Expanded Metal Mesh (EMM), Welded Wire Mesh (WWM) or Fibre Glass Mesh (FGM). Structural behaviour of studied beams, including first crack, ultimate load, deflection, ductility index, strain characteristics, crack pattern and failure mode were investigated. Experimental work results showed that ferrocement beams exhibited higher ductility indices than those of the control normal and lightweight test beams to different degrees. Ferrocement beams made of EFC core generally gave the lowest ductility index while the highest ductility index was found for beams made of AAC and LWC cores. Ferrocement beams demonstrated better crack control and did not undergo spalling as opposed to the conventional beams. Specimens reinforced by EMM showed better ductility than those reinforced by WWM and even after increasing the reinforcement ratio of WWM, the situation did not change. Specimens reinforced by FGM had the lowest ductility compared to specimens reinforced by steel mesh. Cracks were found to develop more rapidly in beams reinforced by EMM, while beams reinforced by FGM exhibited the least amount of cracks. The results of this research showed that ferrocement beams of light weight cores may be promising as an alternative to conventional beams and may be viable alternatives especially for low cost residential buildings.

Investigation on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Stainless Steel Wire Mesh-Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite

This work cope with the fabrication of hybrid structure composite made of woven glass fibre and Stainless Steel Wire Mesh (SSWM) embedded in Epoxy resin. The hybrid structure composite made using Hand layup method with weight fractions of 50, 52.5, 55, 57.5, 60 wt.% of Woven glass fibre, SSWM uniformly maintained (10 wt.%) in all the laminate except plain Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer(GFRP) (Weight fraction of 60 wt.% Woven glass fibre and 40 wt.% Epoxy resin) composite. In this work, the investigation on effect of SSWM and woven glass fibre in mechanical properties have been characterised, based on tensile, flexural, shear, inter delamination and impact strength. The thermal properties are also analysed using a thermogravimetric instrument that shows better thermal stability. Morphology study is carried out using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results indicate that the 52.5 wt.% of Woven Glass Fibre with 10 wt.% SSWM and 37.5 wt.% Epoxy has superior properties compared to other combinations. This is evident that the SSWM as a reinforcing agent in the polymer composite.

Thermally Conductive Boron Nitride Nanosheet Composite Paper as a Flexible Printed Circuit Board

The development of portable and wearable electronic devices has substantially increased the demand for printed circuit boards with high thermal conductivity, optimal mechanical flexibility, electrical insulativity, and minimal high-frequency transmission loss. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of a thermally conductive, flexible composite paper, for electronic and microwave devices, based on hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and fiberglass mesh (FGM). The prepared composite paper exhibits in-plane thermal conductivity of 22.51 W/(m·K), and the FGM induced high mechanical strength of 27.92 MPa. The transmission loss, of the grounded coplanar waveguide lines, was 0.10 dB/mm at 7.0 GHz, and shows negligible variation while bending, indicating the high flexibility of the circuit board. These results demonstrate potential application of BN-based composite paper in flexible electronic devices.

Low velocity impact resistance of bio-inspired building ceramic composites with nacre-like structure

Nacre in abalone shell exhibits prominently high toughness and remarkable inelasticity when subjected to the external loads, despite the brittle nature of its main constituent. Aiming to improve the impact resistance of the building composite materials, inspired from nacre, a layered and staggered structural system based on the building ceramic mosaic tiles joined with soft adhesive was designed and fabricated. Then, the ACI 544 drop weight test was performed on the above bio-inspired building ceramic composites, and the effects of partitioned tile layer, impact location, stagger mode, tile shape and size, adhesive type, as well as fiberglass mesh were experimentally assessed. The experimental results show high impact resistance of the proposed bio-inspired building ceramic composites under low velocity drop weight impact, and a design approach is proposed. The obtained conclusions could provide some helpful references for the design of protective structures.

Study on shock resistance of steel plate reinforced with polyurea–woven fiberglass mesh composite under shock wave

To study the dynamic mechanical properties of polyurea–woven fiberglass mesh composite material as a reinforcing layer, the shock resistance tests on plain steel plate, polyurea-reinforced steel plate, and polyurea–woven fiberglass mesh composite–reinforced steel plate were carried out using the large shock tube device. Finite element method simulation was also carried out. The results of experimental and numerical simulation show that the deformation of polyurea–woven fiberglass mesh composite reinforcing layer is smaller than that of pure polyurea reinforcing layer, and the overall deformation of steel plate reinforced by polyurea–woven fiberglass mesh composite is minimal among all the three specimens. With the same polyurea consumption in reinforcing layer, the mass of the 3.5-mm-thick polyurea–woven fiberglass mesh composite–reinforced steel plate is only 2.92% larger than that of the 3.2-mm-thick pure polyurea–reinforced steel plate, but it can reduce the residual displacement of steel plate center by additional 13.03%. The work in this article has some reference value to improve the shock resistance of polyurea-reinforced structure in engineering.

Kompozyty zywicy fenolowo-formaldehydowej napelnionej modyfikowanymi bentonitami wzmocnione siatkami z wlokna szklanego stosowane jako sciernice

The present study continues research on the application of bentonites modified with quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) to produce composites based on phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF). The as-prepared composites were used for impregnating fiberglass mesh of various weave and weight per unit area. The effect of the reinforcement structure (weave of fiberglass mesh) on the mechanical and structural properties of the obtained composites was investigated, especially in terms of their use as grinding wheels. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the composites with matrices containing modified aluminosilicates were characterized by greater mechanical strength and abrasion resistance, than those with non-modified matrix. On the basis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), much better wetting of glass meshes by bentonite-modified PF compositions was observed when compared to those with unfilled phenol-formaldehyde resin.

Development and application of an environmentally friendly ductile alkali-activated composite

This paper presents a development of a ductile alkali-activated fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) based composite as an environmentally friendly material for structural concrete application. For this purpose, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres and sand aggregate were combined with alkali-activated paste. Workability, setting time, mechanical properties and failure mode of PVA fibres in the mixture were studied by slump test, Vicat needle test, flexural and compression tests, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging, respectively. Although the mixture sets in a short period of time (less than 30 min), the workability was good and the developed fibre reinforced composite was used for a large scale application in a canoe. Casting a large volume (45 l compared to 3 l, as initially designed) did not affect the workability and the setting time of the mixture. Mechanical properties of specimens coming from “small” (3 l) and “large” (45 l) batches were tested at different ages (up to 120 days) and compared. It was shown that their flexural and compressive strength are similar, i.e. not affected by the upscaling. Furthermore, it was shown that the mixture with PVA fibres exhibits deflection hardening behaviour even with aggregate particles as large as 4 mm, although single crack localization led to failure. The SEM images of fractured surfaces indicated that combined fibre pull-out and fibre rupture occurred, with the latter one causing the final failure. The developed mixture, additionally reinforced with the plastic fiberglass mesh, was used in the 5.8 m long and 16 mm thick canoe for the student competition, which for the very first time, was constructed without the use of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The upscaling was successful and the results show the potential of fibre-reinforced alkali-activated FA and GBFS composite to be used as a durable and resistant material suitable for the structural application in thin shell elements, exemplified by the canoe. Such an application and a low risk project was suitable to gain the necessary experience and confidence with this innovative, “concrete like”, material for which no codes or regulations are available. Furthermore, similar applications are the first step for larger scale structural applications, like structural elements in the building industry, bridges and other civil engineering structures.

Influence of fiberglass mesh on flammability of EPS used as insulation of buildings

Different scale tests to explore the influence of fiberglass mesh on the fire behavior of expanded polystyrene (EPS) have been conducted. Micro scale combustion calorimeter to measure the heat release rate per unit mass, heat release capacity, and the total heat release of EPS and as well as the fiberglass for milligram specimen mass has been used. Cone colorimeter bench scale burning tests with the EPS specimens and EPS-fiberglass compound specimens have been carried out. The heat release rate per unit area, ignition times, and the derived minimum igniting heat fluxes were determined. Comparative burning tests on the fire spread tendency of EPS and EPS-fiberglass compound specimens have been carried out. It was established that the fiberglass mesh stabilizes the EPS fire as a wick fire due to the adherence of the melting polystyrene adheres to the fiberglass mesh and this causes an upwards fire spread.

Impact resistance of external thermal insulation systems

In the paper the results of an experimental program intended to determine factors influencing the impact resistance of the External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) were presented. For the research the systems based on polystyrene have been chosen. The insulation material was faced with a rendering consisting of base coat reinforced with standard or armored glass fibre mesh and silicone or silicone-silicate binders as finishing coats. The influence of various renderings components was evaluated with respect to resistance to hard body impact and resistance to hail. The test results were discussed in the context of the possible impact level on ETICS in use.

Flexural fatigue behavior of thin laminated cementitious composites incorporating cenosphere fillers

Flexural fatigue behavior of thin laminated cementitious composites (LCCs) is evaluated in this paper. LCCs were developed by incorporating fly ash cenosphere (FAC), as lightweight filler material, in various weight fractions of 40%, 50%, and 60%. The composites were reinforced with continuous reinforcement (welded wire mesh and woven glass fiber mesh), and discontinuous reinforcement (PVA fibers). Both single and double layer reinforced composites were cast. The developed composites were tested for static flexural strength as well as flexural fatigue strength under three – point flexural loading. The fatigue lives of LCC were determined at various stress levels and stress ratios. The results thus obtained are used to develop S-N relationships, and equations have been proposed to predict the flexural fatigue strength of LCC. The results indicate that the probabilistic distribution of fatigue life of LCC can be modeled by two-parameter Weibull distribution. The Weibull distribution has been employed to incorporate the failure probabilities into the fatigue life of LCC. The fatigue lives corresponding to different failure probabilities have been calculated and the data so obtained have been used to generate Pf-S-N diagrams. It is found that FAC is useful in producing structural lightweight composites with enhanced ductility and improved flexural fatigue characteristics.

Response of infilled RC frames retrofitted with a cementitious fiber-mesh reinforced coating in moderate seismicity areas

A significant number of Infilled Reinforce Concrete (RC) frame structures constructed worldwide are not designed to withstand seismic actions. An important contribution to the lateral resistance of the bare frame is usually provided by weak masonry infills, whose interaction with the frame has been frequently neglected by designers.In case low-rise buildings placed in low seismicity areas are considered, the moderate inelastic demand resulting from the seismic excitation allows implementing retrofitting techniques aiming at improving the structure resistance rather than its ability to dissipate energy by inelastic mechanisms.This paper studies a retrofitting approach aiming at exploiting the frame-to-infill interaction by using a thin layer of mortar coating connected to the outer surfaces of the perimeter walls of the RC buildings. The coating is applied on the existent plaster and is reinforced with an Alkali-Resistant glass fiber mesh properly anchored to the infill.A series of reverse cyclic tests on three hollow clay brick masonry infills, including a not strengthened wall as well as a strengthened and a repaired specimen, was carried out. A special RC frame provided with steel hinges at the columns edges was built to simulate flexural mechanisms generally occurring in weakly reinforced frames. Results proved the ability of the adopted technique to significantly improve both lateral stiffness and resistance of infills. However, the observed behavior suggested future improvements that may lead to a further increment of the infill capacity.

Reinforcing effect of glass-fiber mesh on complete dentures in a test model with a simulated oral mucosa

Statement of problemStudies that evaluated the strength of complete dentures reinforced with glass-fiber mesh or metal mesh on a cast with a simulated oral mucosa are lacking. PurposeThe purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the mechanical properties of maxillary complete dentures reinforced with glass-fiber mesh with those of metal mesh in a new test model, using a simulated oral mucosa. Material and methodsComplete dentures reinforced with 2 types of glass-fiber mesh, SES mesh (SES) and glass cloth (GC) and metal mesh (metal) were fabricated. Complete dentures without any reinforcement were prepared as a control (n=10). The complete dentures were located on a cast with a simulated oral mucosa, and a load was applied on the posterior artificial teeth bilaterally. The fracture load, elastic modulus, and toughness of a complete denture were measured using a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min. The fracture load and elastic modulus were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance, and the toughness was analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis test (α=.05). The Tukey multiple range test was used as a post hoc test. ResultsThe fracture load and toughness of the SES group was significantly higher than that of the metal and control groups (P<.05) but not significantly different from that of the GC group. The elastic modulus of the metal group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<.05), and no significant differences were observed in the SES and GC groups. ConclusionsCompared with the control group, the fracture load and toughness of the SES and GC groups were higher, while those of the metal group were not significantly different.

Characterisation of cementitious polymer mortar – Auxetic foam composites

Application of auxetic materials in automobile and biomedical engineering is widely reported and their usage in civil engineering is emerging. This paper reports the manufacturing and characterising of cementitious polymer mortar – auxetic foam composites suitable for wall rendering. The deformation behaviour of the composites with the high negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) auxetic foam embedded in polymer cement mortar matrix has been experimentally evaluated and compared to the commonly used mortar composites containing fiberglass mesh layers (that exhibits positive Poisson’s ratio). It is shown that the auxetic embedded polymer cement composite outperformed other composites through elimination of delamination and minimisation of brittleness. The auxetic foams used in this research were manufactured from the inexpensive open cell polyurethane foam through a thermo-mechanical process and characterised through lab tests; the maximum Poisson’s ratio determined was −1.5. Sixty composite specimens tested under axial compression exhibited a maximum NPR of −0.11. The results were validated numerically. The numerical model was then used to examine the effectiveness of the relative thickness of the auxetic foam layers and the polymer cement matrix for maximising the NPR of the composites. The results show that through auxetic material embedment, delamination and brittleness suffered by the cementitious composites could be eliminated.

Research on Mechanical Property of High Elasticity Stress-absorbing Band

Authors of papers to research mechanical property of high elasticity stress-absorbing band for crack reflection of asphalt overlay on old cement pavement. Tensile ductility property of high elasticity rubber mastics and stress-absorbing band were tested and compared with crack stick on the market to analyze the mechanism of crack resistance. The result showed that high elasticity stress-absorbing band appeared elasticstretching, strengthen stage, yield and necking stage during stretching process, which same with standard elastic materials. Setting fiberglass mesh in the middle of band was better for mechanical property of high elasticity rubber mastics. Compared with crack stick, high elasticity stress-absorbing band was better for crack resistance.

Experimental study of the out of plane behavior of masonry infill walls with exterior insulation systems

The objective of this study is to evaluate the out of plane behavior of a masonry infill wall provided with an exterior thermal insulation system. For this purpose there were constructed two 1:1 scale specimens of masonry infill walls in order to compare a simple wall with one having already applied an exterior thermal insulation system composed by a polystyrene insulation and a protection layer of plaster and a glass fiber mesh. The load was applied through a horizontal force, acting at the mid height of the wall. Both specimens were tested in displacement control, using alternate force with 3 cycles per loading step. As it was expected, an increased stiffness and out of plane resistance was observed for the wall provided with the insulation system. Various observations were noticed related to the technology and overall behavior of the infill masonry wall.

The Effect of Polymerization Methods and Fiber Types on the Mechanical Behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Resin-Based Composites.

Glass fibers were introduced to increase the fracture resistance ofresin-based composites restorations; however, the poor polymerization between fibers andresin-based compositewere sometimes noted and can cause debonding and failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different polymerization methods as well as fiber types on the mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforcedresin-based composites. Seventy-five specimens were fabricated and divided into one control group and four experimental groups (n = 15), according to the type of glass fiber (strip or mesh) and polymerization methods (one- or two-step). A 0.2-mm-thick fiber layer was fabricated with different polymerization methods, on top of which a 1.8 mmresin-based compositelayer was added to make a bar-shape specimen, followed by a final polymerization. Specimens were tested for flexural strength and flexural modulus. The failure modes of specimens were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The fiber types showed significant effect on the flexural strength of test specimens (F = 469.48, p < 0.05), but the polymerization methods had no significant effect (F = 0.05, p = 0.82). The interaction between these two variables was not significant (F = 1.73, p = 0.19). In addition, both fiber type (F = 9.71, p < 0.05) and polymerization method (F = 12.17, p < 0.05) affected the flexural modulus of test specimens; however, the interaction between these two variables was not significant (F = 0.40, p = 0.53). The strip fibers showed better mechanical behavior than mesh fibers and were suggested for resin-based composites restorations reinforcement; however, different polymerization methods did not have a significant effect on the strength and failure mode of fiber-reinforcedresin-based composites.

1 of 1 Experimental and FE simulations of ferrocement columns incorporating composite materials

This paper presents a proposed method for producing reinforced composite concrete columns reinforced with various types of metallic and non metallic mesh reinforcement. The experimental program includes casting and testing of twelve square columns having the dimensions of 100 mmx100 mmx1000 mm under concentric compression loadings. The test samples comprise all designation specimens to make comparative study between conventionally reinforced concrete column and concrete columns reinforced with welded steel mesh, expanded steel mesh, fiber glass mesh and tensar mesh. The main variables are the type of innovative reinforcing materials, metallic or non metallic, the number of layers and volume fraction of reinforcement. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of employing the new innovative materials in reinforcing the composite concrete columns. The results of an experimental investigation to examine the effectiveness of these produced columns are reported and discussed including strength, deformation, cracking, and ductility properties. Non-linear finite element analysis; (NLFEA) was carried out to simulate the behavior of the reinforced concrete composite columns. The numerical model could agree the behavior level of the test results. ANSYS-10.0 Software. Also, parametric study is presented to look at the variables that can mainly affect the mechanical behaviors of the model such as the change of column dimensions. The results proved that new reinforced concrete columns can be developed with high strength, crack resistance, and high ductility properties using the innovative composite materials.