AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE DECKS CONSTRUCTED VIA THE LAYERING METHOD AS COMPARED TO A FOREIGN SPECIMEN

Abstract

This research investigated the mechanical properties of a composite deck and determined the maximum percentage of its components. A foreign specimen (L: 29 cm, W: 14.5 cm, and T: 2 cm) was first prepared and validated for its components by weighing and then placing it in 30 steps of one and two hours in a 200 °C and a 500 °C oven. The composite deck’s components were partially disassembled at each step, and the identified parts were weighted and compared with the currently available industrial materials. Overall, identifying the main components allows for the feasibility study of composite deck construction. In this research, the proposed composite was first constructed by imitating the foreign specimen and then evaluated by relevant tests to compare it with the foreign counterpart for its mechanical properties.