Thevega Thevakumar

This study investigated the effect of hot-pressing conditions, including the curing temperature, curing time and the applied pressure, on the flexural properties of polyurethane (PU) composites incorporating 88 wt.% (Glass/PU-88/12) and 95 wt.% (Glass/PU-95/5) recycled glass particles. Hot-pressing (cure) temperatures between 100 °C and 180 °C were investigated with the objective to shorten the cure cycle, thereby increasing the production rate of the glass/PU composites to match industrial scales. The hot-pressing time varied between 1 min and 30 min, while the pressure varied between 1.1 MPa and 6.6 MPa. Further to investigating the hot-pressing conditions, the effect of post-curing on the flexural properties of glass/PU composites was also investigated. Microstructural analysis was used to identify the interactions between the glass particles and the PU matrix, explore the void content and establish the relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the resultant glass/PU composites. Glass/PU composites incorporating 5 wt.% (Glass/PU-95/5), 10 wt.% (Glass/PU-90/10) and 12 wt.% (Glass/PU-88/12) were manufactured under optimised hot-pressing conditions (temperature = 100 °C; cure time = 1 min; pressure = 6.6 MPa) and evaluated under flexural, tensile and compression loadings. Furthermore, the high-temperature stability of the composites was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis. This study demonstrates the feasibility of upcycling glass waste into value-added materials for potential use in the construction and building industry.

Non-structural internal and external walls play a crucial role in high-rise buildings. Exterior walls contribute to the building’s aesthetic appearance and create a comfortable indoor environment against thermal and wind effects. Interior walls divide the space and minimize sound distractions while maintaining desired conditions. External walls are particularly important as the presence of combustible materials can pose a significant fire hazard. Hence, it is crucial to use materials with high thermal performance to mitigate risks. Glass is a commonly used material for external walls due to its transparency, affordability, availability, and sustainability. However, glass panels are susceptible to failure when exposed to heat due to their brittleness. Therefore, this study aims to assess the thermal performance of glass panels under fire by analyzing single, laminated, and insulated glass panels using ABAQUS finite element software. Through a parametric study using validated numerical models, the study identifies the optimal configuration for glass panels. The findings indicate that increasing the thickness of a single glass panel by 2 mm resulted in a temperature decrease of approximately 13.5%. Additionally, the impact of shape on thermal performance is studied by evaluating crack initiation time and temperature for various shapes with equal areas. The results show that rectangular panels exhibit the poorest thermal performance. Furthermore, the type of glass panel significantly influences thermal performance compared to shape and thickness. Insulated glass panels demonstrate superior performance compared to single and laminated glass panels. When investigating different insulation materials, krypton outperforms argon and air in terms of thermal performance. This study contributes to the advancement of fire-safety solutions in buildings by using a validated numerical model to identify critical parameters affecting the thermal performance of glass facades across various types and configurations.

The increased demand for cladding in high-rise buildings has prompted engineers to explore alternative products utilizing recycled materials. However, ensuring fire compliance in these alternative claddings, which are predominantly composed of low-volume polymer-based composites, poses a critical challenge. Traditional experimental methods for fire evaluation are costly, time consuming, and environmentally impactful. Considering this, a numerical approach was proposed for evaluating the fire performance of glass-polymer composite materials, which contain a high proportion of recycled glass and a lower percentage of rigid polyurethane. A cone calorimeter test was simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software to investigate the flammability of the novel glass–polymer composite material. This validated numerical model was employed to assess the combustibility of the glass–polyurethane composite materials and identify influential parameters using the Design of Experiments (DoE) method. Statistical analysis revealed that three material properties, namely, the heat of combustion, the absorption coefficient, and the heat of reaction, significantly influenced the peak heat release rate (pHRR) of the glass–polyurethane composite materials compared to other properties. Based on these findings, an empirical equation was proposed that demonstrates a reasonable correlation with the pHRR of low-polymer recycled glass composite materials. The outcomes of this study hold considerable importance for understanding and predicting the combustibility behaviour of low-polymer–glass composites. By providing a validated numerical model and identifying critical material properties, this research contributes to the development of sustainable fire safety solutions for buildings, enabling the use of recycled materials and reducing reliance on conventional claddings.