Abstract

For more than two decades, new innovative materials have been introduced to the market such as nano materials that can be utilized for their high performance in different aspects of the construction industry. Structural repair and strengthening is one of the most demanding fields in the construction industry for innovative and high-performance materials due to its specialty. Time, quality, economy, and sustainability are the main factors that control this field, and for that, new systems keep being introduced to the market to reduce the time of repair and enhance its efficiency. Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) Systems are the most advanced type of systems that have been used in the strengthening and repair field for the last few decades for their minimal time of application, limited space needed, and high durability. However, FRP Systems still has a major drawback that limits its utilization in many projects, namely its low fire resistance. Several research have been investigating different types of fire insulations that are already being used in regular Reinforced Concrete (RC) elements and steel elements, however, due to the low failure temperature of the FRP system these insulation types do not perform as efficient as with other structural systems. One of the new novel materials that was introduced lately to the market with a substantial thermal performance is Aerogel, which has been widely utilized in different fields such as bio-medicine and aerospace.

This study attempted to develop fire-protective plaster incorporating nano silica-aerogel particles, phyllosilicates, and different mineral and chemical additives. During the experimental process, different surfactants were assessed as wetting agents, and their impact on both mechanical and thermal properties of both cement and mineral matrices was studied. Finally, the selected plaster was evaluated under fire conditions according to international codes of practice such as ASTM E119.

The results reveal that aerogel incorporation in mineral (gypsum) matrix was successfully achieved using various types of surfactants as wetting agents. Mechanical and thermal performance of plasters developed showed promising outcome along with fire rating performance reaching 82 minutes protection for FRP system.

School

School of Sciences and Engineering

Department

Construction Engineering Department

Degree Name

MS in Construction Engineering

Graduation Date

Fall 2-28-2024

Submission Date

1-18-2024

First Advisor

Mohamed Nagib AbouZeid

Committee Member 1

Mohamed Darwish

Committee Member 2

Gouda Mohamed Ghanem

Committee Member 3

Ossama Hosny

Extent

97 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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Available for download on Saturday, January 17, 2026

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