Bending behaviour of sandwich panels of vegetal fabric reinforced cementitious matrix: Experimental test and numerical simulation

Sandwich panels represent a lightweight solution with additional properties as insulation compared to traditional solutions used for building enclosures. In this study, a technology based on vegetal FRCM (fabric reinforced cementitious matrix) provides an economical, sustainable and competitive solution. The research introduces a composite design made of different vegetal fabrics (hemp and sisal) and mortar as skins of the sandwich and a core of extruded polystyrene. Both composite skins were connected with different types of connectors including vegetal designs. An experimental campaign of sandwich panels included four-point bending tests and a later development of numerical models capable of reproducing the experimental results. The results obtained show that the use of vegetal fabrics and connectors were as competitive for the development of effective composite action as synthetic fabrics (glass fiber).

Automated summary

This study presents a composite design of sandwich panels using vegetal fabrics and connectors, demonstrating their competitiveness in developing effective composite action compared to synthetic fibers. The technology based on vegetal FRCM provides an economical, sustainable, and competitive solution for lightweight construction.