Vinylester/cenosphere composite materials for civil and structural engineering

Abstract

The use of composite structural solutions in civil engineering applications is increasing however this continued growth requires the further development of these materials and an understanding of their behaviour. Particulate reinforced polymer composite systems, in particular vinyl ester/cenosphere composites appear to have significant potential to meet the requirements of civil engineering structures. The application of this technology to the design of products has highlighted the need to develop a more comprehensive understanding of material behaviour, identifying both the processing performance and end product performance as critical. Key constituent material parameters were found to influence both the processing and end product performance with significant interrelationships existing between these parameters and the composite material behaviours. This requires the consideration of the end product performance then the processing performance to meet the requirements of civil engineering applications. Existing material characterisation methods appear limited which requires the adoption of new techniques, such as DSC or DMA, to quantify material behaviour for the engineer. The findings of the investigation, which were summarised in this paper, significantly improved the understanding of the constituent influences on the behaviour of vinyl ester /cenosphere composite systems. This improved understanding instils more confidence in the material performance and may facilitate the continued integration of composite structural solutions into civil engineering applications.