Elemental Micro-Characteristic, Thermogravimetric, and FTIR Study of Green Sand(Poly Lactic Acid) for Replacement of Fine Aggregate in Concrete Mix

Abstract

Poly lactic acid (PLA) has made inroads for commercial market segment with lot many unique characteristics such as tenacity, low flame rate, moisture regain percentage, loss of ignition percentage, heat of combustion, UV resistance, Elastic recovery and higher melting point allowed it to be the fastest moving material in today's commercial market. An attempt has been made to test the feasibility and biocompatibility aspect of PLA with cement mix. The basic strength and physical test results were carried out and published in an article, to the continuation of the work, micro-structural study was conducted to evaluate the elemental characteristics. Thermo gravimetric analysis revealed that PLA either in granular form or filament will hold good for the inclusion into construction applications, provided degradation aspects are to be looked out for improvisation. From DSC it was found that PLA in filament form is the best inclusion material for construction application, however the tenacity of fibers has to checked, as currently available filaments in market does not have high tenacity value. From EDX reports, 30% inclusion of PLA as replacement for fine aggregate has constituent members as Calcium carbonate(CaCO3), Silica(SiO2) and Wollastonite (CaK) resulted in best composition among the rest. FESEM images revealed that, proper gradation in size, rough surface of PLA granular form or filament form will definitely enhance the mechanical/physical or even chemical behavior of PLA.