Compressive Properties of Expanded Perlite Based Particulate Composite for the Application in Building Insulation Board

Abstract

In this paper, expanded perlite based particulate composites for the application in building insulation board are studied for compressive behaviour. Composites with a density range from 0.452 to 0.640 g/cm3 are manufactured using floatation method by varying binder content (sodium silicate solution and corn starch as binder) and the degree of compaction. Compressive strength and modulus are investigated based on two manufacturing parameters (i.e. Compaction ratio and Water/SSS ratio) and the density of the composites. Compressive strength and modulus were found to be linearly dependent on the density however the trend for compressive strength and modulus were found to be different. The change of compressive modulus with respect to increasing density is found to be different for different compaction ratio which is not significant in the case of compressive strength. The range of specific compressive strength of the composites from 4.27 to 5.08 MPa/(g/cm3) was found to be suitable for the building insulation board application when compared with existing literature.