Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene Boards
Geopolymer foams are excellent materials in terms of mechanical loads and fire resistance applications. This study investigated the foaming process of geopolymers and foam stability, with a focus on the fire resistance performance when using polystyrene as the base layer. The main purpose is to defi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/10/1945 |
| _version_ | 1797496306655035392 |
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| author | Van Su Le Van Vu Nguyen Artem Sharko Roberto Ercoli Thang Xiem Nguyen Doan Hung Tran Piotr Łoś Katarzyna Ewa Buczkowska Stanisław Mitura Tomáš Špirek Petr Louda |
| author_facet | Van Su Le Van Vu Nguyen Artem Sharko Roberto Ercoli Thang Xiem Nguyen Doan Hung Tran Piotr Łoś Katarzyna Ewa Buczkowska Stanisław Mitura Tomáš Špirek Petr Louda |
| author_sort | Van Su Le |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Geopolymer foams are excellent materials in terms of mechanical loads and fire resistance applications. This study investigated the foaming process of geopolymers and foam stability, with a focus on the fire resistance performance when using polystyrene as the base layer. The main purpose is to define the influence of porosity on the physical properties and consequently to find applications and effectiveness of geopolymers. In this study, lightweight materials are obtained through a process called geopolymerization. Foaming was done by adding aluminum powder at the end of the geopolymer mortar preparation. The interaction between the aluminum powder and the alkaline solution (used for the binder during the mixing process) at room temperature is reactive enough to develop hydrogen-rich bubbles that increase the viscosity and promote the consolidation of geopolymers. The basic principle of thermodynamic reactions responsible for the formation of foams is characterized by hydrogen-rich gas generation, which is then trapped in the molecular structure of geopolymers. The geopolymer foams in this study are highly porous and robust materials. Moreover, the porosity distribution is very homogeneous. Experimental assessments were performed on four specimens to determine the density, porosity, mechanical strength, and thermal conductivity. The results showed that our geopolymer foams layered on polystyrene boards (with optimal thickness) have the highest fire resistance performance among others. This combination could withstand temperatures of up to 800 °C for more than 15 min without the temperature rising on the insulated side. Results of the best-performing geopolymer foam underline the technical characteristics of the material, with an average apparent density of 1 g/cm<sup>3</sup>, a volume porosity of 55%, a thermal conductivity of 0.25 W/mK, and excellent fire resistance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:01:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7b1d1fd3d03d49a9b52d1417b1e84baf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:01:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-7b1d1fd3d03d49a9b52d1417b1e84baf2023-11-23T12:44:30ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602022-05-011410194510.3390/polym14101945Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene BoardsVan Su Le0Van Vu Nguyen1Artem Sharko2Roberto Ercoli3Thang Xiem Nguyen4Doan Hung Tran5Piotr Łoś6Katarzyna Ewa Buczkowska7Stanisław Mitura8Tomáš Špirek9Petr Louda10Department of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Urbino, Via Ca’ Le Suore 2/4, 61029 Urbino, ItalyFaculty of Civil Engineering, Nha Trang University, Nguyen Dinh Chieu 2, Nha Trang 650000, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Nha Trang University, Nguyen Dinh Chieu 2, Nha Trang 650000, VietnamDepartment of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Material Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Studentska 2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech RepublicGeopolymer foams are excellent materials in terms of mechanical loads and fire resistance applications. This study investigated the foaming process of geopolymers and foam stability, with a focus on the fire resistance performance when using polystyrene as the base layer. The main purpose is to define the influence of porosity on the physical properties and consequently to find applications and effectiveness of geopolymers. In this study, lightweight materials are obtained through a process called geopolymerization. Foaming was done by adding aluminum powder at the end of the geopolymer mortar preparation. The interaction between the aluminum powder and the alkaline solution (used for the binder during the mixing process) at room temperature is reactive enough to develop hydrogen-rich bubbles that increase the viscosity and promote the consolidation of geopolymers. The basic principle of thermodynamic reactions responsible for the formation of foams is characterized by hydrogen-rich gas generation, which is then trapped in the molecular structure of geopolymers. The geopolymer foams in this study are highly porous and robust materials. Moreover, the porosity distribution is very homogeneous. Experimental assessments were performed on four specimens to determine the density, porosity, mechanical strength, and thermal conductivity. The results showed that our geopolymer foams layered on polystyrene boards (with optimal thickness) have the highest fire resistance performance among others. This combination could withstand temperatures of up to 800 °C for more than 15 min without the temperature rising on the insulated side. Results of the best-performing geopolymer foam underline the technical characteristics of the material, with an average apparent density of 1 g/cm<sup>3</sup>, a volume porosity of 55%, a thermal conductivity of 0.25 W/mK, and excellent fire resistance.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/10/1945geopolymer foamsmetakaolinsilica sandsilica fumechopped basalt fibersaluminum powder |
| spellingShingle | Van Su Le Van Vu Nguyen Artem Sharko Roberto Ercoli Thang Xiem Nguyen Doan Hung Tran Piotr Łoś Katarzyna Ewa Buczkowska Stanisław Mitura Tomáš Špirek Petr Louda Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene Boards Polymers geopolymer foams metakaolin silica sand silica fume chopped basalt fibers aluminum powder |
| title | Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene Boards |
| title_full | Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene Boards |
| title_fullStr | Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene Boards |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene Boards |
| title_short | Fire Resistance of Geopolymer Foams Layered on Polystyrene Boards |
| title_sort | fire resistance of geopolymer foams layered on polystyrene boards |
| topic | geopolymer foams metakaolin silica sand silica fume chopped basalt fibers aluminum powder |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/10/1945 |
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