Composite materials, plastics, and ceramics are increasingly
emerging as viable building material solutions. The volume
and number of applications of composite materials has grown
steadily, creating a wide realm of new markets - from everyday
products (think bath sinks to door frames) to niche applications
in the aerospace and automotive industries.
Composite development involves both material and structural
design. Unlike conventional materials - which are cast into
molds and take their shape according to their properties
- composite materials are much more fluid as they can be
adjusted to fit the outcome of their desired application.
Composite materials, for example, can simulate stone, marble,
onyx or granite.
Currently, the biggest challenges to getting composite products
to a larger market are higher initial costs and inefficient
- or not even applicable - molding processes used in conventional
manufacturing. Industry and design experts, however, are
aware that as the technology advances these problems are
merely roadblocks.
High Performance Fibre
High performance fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) are starting
to challenge the use of traditional materials such as timber,
concrete, steel and aluminium. Although FRP will not likely
replace these materials anytime soon, they are contributing
significant industrial growth (and intensifying competition)
to the building and manufacturing industries.
High performance FRP, for example, can now be found in fuel
cylinders for natural gas vehicles, windmill blades, industrial
drive shafts and support beams of highway bridges.
Natural Fibres
Natural fibres, used as a substitute for glass fibres in
composite materials, have become popular in the housing sector
in the last decade. Fibres like flax, hemp, jute and coir (coconut
fibres) are cheap and have a lower impact on the environment.
Jute-coir ply boards, for example, are a feasible economic
alternative to wood. These boards have a wood-like finish and
have the added benefit of being fire-resistant.
In fact, natural fibre composites (NFC) can be used as a
substitute for wood, metal, stone, or wall tiles for partitions,
false ceilings, fences, flooring or roofing. They can be
moulded into sheets, boards, frames, structural sections
and many other shapes.
A recent survey conducted by the US forest service revealed
that almost every conceivable type of natural fibrous material
could be considered for some type of building material, and
many of them are being used worldwide today.
Bamboo
Bamboo is one of the fastest renewable plant, making it an attractive natural
resource compared to other hardwoods. Bamboo laminates could, for example,
replace wood with furniture, doors and windows, cabinets, and flooring. Bamboo
has been used for centuries to build affordable housing in New Guinea, Thailand,
Columbia and Bangladesh, where it is an indigenous plant.
In the Philippines, bamboo is currently being seen as a
viable alternative to steel in the construction of mass housing.
The architects and engineers of the Science Technology Architecture
and Research, Southeast Asia Foundation (Star Sea) plan to
use bamboo for the walls of about 500 houses on a 28,800-square-meter
property in Los Baos, Laguna.
Conclusion
The use of composite fibres and other alternatives, such as bamboo, in building
and civil engineering structures are likely to become more used and readily
accepted as technology - and society - advances. The increasing need for environmental
durability, reform and building safety means that innovative composite products
will have a long reach into the existing market, and they will create new ones.
Just think of chemical and fire-resistant fibres being used for walls and ceilings,
or of composite fibres that can be set like a thermostat so that a building
will naturally monitor its own energy. Think of biodegradable automobiles.
These fantasies are not that far off.
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