Thermal and acoustic performance in textile fibre-reinforced concrete: An analytical review
K.A.P. Wijesinghe, Chamila Gunasekara, David W. Law, H.D. Hidallana-Gamage, Nandula D. Wanasekara, Lijing Wang
Abstract
Textile fibre-reinforced concrete based reviews have explored various engineering properties, such as strengthening of concrete, enhancing strain capacity, crack control, durability, and energy absorption. An essential missing component is a comprehensive analysis of the thermal and acoustic insulation performance of textile fibre-reinforced concrete. The paper provides a large-scale analytical database by analysing prior literature on the thermal and acoustic performance of textile fibre-reinforced concrete. It further reviews the microstructural and pore-structural aspects of concrete to provide an overview of the underlying mechanisms driving these properties. This review explores the impact of textile fibre inclusion from 0–20 as a mass percentage (wt%) and 0–40 as a volume percentage (v%). The key findings of the review are that jute fibre-reinforced mortar demonstrated superior thermal conductivity, achieving 0.068 W/mK at 20 wt% inclusion, followed by 0.08 W/mK of basalt fibres at 20 v% inclusion, demonstrating that fibres possess commendable insulation qualities. Notably, inclusion of 30 v% of 2–4 mm miscanthus fibre in concrete showed outstanding dual performance, achieving optimal thermal conductivity of 0.09 W/mK and 90% acoustic absorption at 841 Hz. Finally, the study suggests directions to address identified gaps that can be utilised in the design of future research focusing end-user applications.