THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW STRUCTURAL CORE MATERIAL FOR COMPOSITES IN CIVIL ENGINEERING -CONSTITUENT INFLUENCES ON STIFFNESS BEHAVIOUR

摘要

For composite materials to be successful in the mainstream civil engineering marketplace, it is imperative that new structural systems be economically competitive against traditional options in steel and concrete. To do this, composite laminates must be used in a very efficient manner. One method of achieving such efficiency with laminates is through the use of sandwich type structures. However, this approach has traditionally been difficult in civil engineering structures due to the cost and performance limitations of traditional core materials. To overcome these problems and to develop cost effective composite systems, a new type of structural core material has been developed at the University of Southern Queensland. The new material is a particulate filled polymer composite using hollow, micro-spherical fillers. This paper outlines the background to this development program and presents initial results of ongoing research into the behaviour of this type of composite system. This initial study has focused on the influence of constituents on the stiffness characteristics of these materials. Results of an ongoing experimental program are discussed and major constituent influences are identified.