Title
The potential use of chitosan as a biopolymer additive for enhanced mechanical properties and water resistance of earthen construction
Date Issued
2016
Access level
restricted access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Ltd
Abstract
The study investigates the feasibility of using chitosan biopolymer as an admixture, or as an external coating, for earthen constructions to improve their resistance in two components: water induced degradation and key mechanical properties. The resistance to water induced degradation was evaluated in terms of contact angle and drip erosion tests, while the influence on mechanical properties was measured through compressive, tensile and three-point bending tests. The results indicate that the use of low concentrations of chitosan can improve significantly the performance in the two components and therefore was found to be a promising treatment for new or existing construction. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Start page
625
End page
637
Volume
114
Number
51
Language
English
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84962808954
Source
Construction and Building Materials
ISSN of the container
0950-0618
Sponsor(s)
This research was carried out by the Research Group of Materials Modification at PUCP with collaborations from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The authors would like to acknowledge the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú PUCP and its funding office DGI-PUCP (project 2013-0061) for providing funds to the project within which this work was developed. Aitor Larrañaga (SGIker, UPV/EHU, Spain) is acknowledged for his help with XRPD data analysis and critical comments on the adobe composition. The authors would finally like to thank the fellowship funding for postgraduate studies for the third author by CONCYTEC, PERU.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica