Microstructure and mechanical properties of artificial marble: Fid-Bau Portal

Microstructure and mechanical properties of artificial marble

Gomes Ribeiro, Carlos E. / Sanchez Rodriguez, Rubén J. / Carvalho, Eduardo A. de

Highlights•Impact of microstructure on the properties of artificial marble (AAM).•The regular interphase resin-residues improve the mechanical properties in AAM.•The AAM produced from coarse waste cutting offers an alternative material to industry.

AbstractArtificial marble (AAM) was manufactured from waste material from dolomitic marble slabs. Fragments of marble slabs (waste) were processed by resin transfer molding (RTM) and vacuum vibrocompression (VVC) technologies using unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) to obtain AAMs with different microstructures.The AAM-RTM and AAM-VVC produced with 13 to 15%w/w UPR have different physical properties. The AAM-VVC had a higher density (2.38g.cm⁻³) and lower porosity (0.39 wt%) and exhibited a higher tan δ intensity peak in an oscillatory mechanical test, associated with interfacial friction that is characteristic of the microstructure observed in the fracture region of AAM-VVC samples. The AAM-VVC also exhibited a higher bending modulus (21.5GPa) and compressive modulus (3.9GPa), between that of natural dolomitic marble and UPR, which were characteristic of this more compact AAM. The less dense microstructure of AAM-RTM explains the smaller bending modulus (0.93GPa) and compressive modulus (0.63GPa) compared to AAM-VVC.The AAM-RTM and AAM-VVC microstructures and associated properties enable various applications for these alternative materials in the construction industry, providing a means of reducing the amount of stone waste and providing an economic value to marble waste.