Experimental characterization of gypsum-cork composite material reinforced with textile fibers

Abstract

The study presented herein focus on the analysis of a series of experimental tests aiming at characterizing the performance of distinct textile fibers acting as a reinforcement of a gypsum-cork composite material. Two groups of textile fibers were selected, namely synthetic fibers (glass, recycled textile, acrylic and basalt) and natural fibers (banana and sisal). The reinforced composite material was assessed taking into account the mode I fracture energy by considering indirect tests on notched beams. Additionally, this material was submitted to distinct types of loading, namely uniaxial compression, from which it was possible to obtain the compressive strength and to calculate the elastic modulus, and flexural loading.