Characterization of hemp fibre-reinforced gypsum panels for building insulation

Abstract

In this paper, the work is focused on to fabricate a biocomposite material which will be applied in buildings for thermal insulation. Biocomposites consist of various hemp fibres prepared by volume fraction. Experimentally the effect of hemp fibres on water absorption, thermal conductivity and mechanical characteristics of gypsum-based materials has been studied. The results showed that in gypsum-based materials thermal conductivity will decrease with gradually increasing of the hemp fibre concentration. It clearly shows that the hemp fibre loading may lead to high effect on thermal and mechanical characteristics of the composites. The flexural and compressive strength of the composites is enhanced by the addition of sufficient fibre content. These newly developed composites exhibit good mechanical and thermal performance which can be allowed to be used for insulating materials. The characterization of gypsum and hemp fibres of different volume fractions are studied under XRD and SEM.