Innovative bio-composite sandwich wall panels made of coconut bidirectional external veneers and balsa lightweight core as alternative for eco-friendly and structural building …

Abstract:

The research that constitutes this paper is based on a series of publications that aimed at understanding, from an engineering perspective, the optimised mechanical efficiency of senile coconut palm stem-tissues as foundation for non-traditional building applications. Particularly, this study aims at determining, evaluating and analysing the mechanical properties of lightweight bidirectional sandwich-like structure wall panels made of balsa core material and coconut external veneers. To achieve these objectives, 10 test specimens cut from prototype panel 1 (1200 mm high, 600 mm wide and 124 mm total thick) and 10 test specimens cut from prototype panel 2 (1200 mm high, 600 mm wide and 74 mm total thick) were investigated under mechanical and seismic behaviours in accordance to the current American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) building standards. Preliminary results show that the proposed wall panels are up to two and three times more efficient, in terms of mechanical high-performance, than equivalent sections of solid wall bricks and concrete block walls, respectively. Therefore, the innovative panels constitute a feasible alternative to reduce/replace typical construction materials (eg steel, concrete and bricks) with a significant positive environmental impact that fully address current engineering requirements. These bio-panels are meant to be used as important non-traditional elements during the rebuilding process of low-rise and mid-rise residential buildings that were dramatically affected during the 2016 Ecuador earthquake.

Año de publicación:

2019

Keywords:

Fuente:

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