Autoclaved aerated concrete reinforced with polymer pins as core of sandwich panels

Abstract

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is a lightweight material with good thermal insulation and acoustic properties, but with relatively low mechanical strength that has limited its use in load-bearing applications. To overcome this issue, AAC was reinforced with polyester pins and used as the core of sandwich panels with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP)-based faces. Three different core thicknesses (17, 35 and 50 mm) were tested, and the 6-mm diameter pins, molded in situ, were used at a 45° orientation. The combination of GFRP, AAC and polymer pins was studied through physical and mechanical analyses. A substantial increase in mechanical strength of AAC occurred when using GFRP as faces, with 11 times higher peak load compared to the original AAC. The introduction of pins leads to even more significant improvements, up to 138% in flatwise flexural properties and up to 62% in edgewise compression properties for the 50 mm core panel compared to unreinforced panels.