A new experimental strategy assessing the optimal thermo-mechanical properties of plaster composites containing Alfa fibers

In recent years, building materials with a sustainable and reusable aspect, have gained an important position in the modern construction market. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the plaster thermo-mechanical properties according to three major influential parameters, which are mixing water ratio, natural additive concentration and interaction structure between the fibrous system and the plaster matrix. However, the EI700 cell, also called the two-box method, was utilized to perform the thermophysical characterization, while the bending tests allowed to identify the mechanical performances. From a thermal point of view, the results achieved reveal the positive effect brought by the increase of fiber dosage and water blending rates, on the enhancement of the thermal qualities. On the other hand, the mechanical assays demonstrated that incorporating fibers within the plaster enables decreasing its resistance to bending, but in contrast it improves significantly the failure mechanism, thus providing a nonlinear and ductile behavior. Finally, the optimal material determination, illustrated that the random distribution of the cut fibers in the main matrix network was concluded as the best solution to obtain composites with excellent thermo-mechanical properties. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.