Shrinkage measurement of a textile reinforced composite at high temperature using a non contact method

Thermoplastic composites can only be produced in moulds which can resist temperatures from 200 up to 400°C. Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) with glass fibres as reinforcement exhibit a relatively high strength and ductility and thus provides an interesting new material for thin shell moulds. Another big advantage is that it can resist high temperatures, without producing toxic gasses and is also absolutely incombustible, according to the European standard EN13501-1. Due to the ability to cope with high temperatures IPC can be used to produce moulding systems. In order to produce moulds in (TRC) based on inorganic phosphate cement (IPC), the geometrical stability of this material must be studied. When cementious materials lose water to the environment, contraction will take place. Most testing methods to measure shrinkage are based on contact methods, which limit the usability at elevated temperatures. In this study the measurement of shrinkage will be discussed using two different methods. The first method is the Thermal Mechanical Analysis (TMA).This is a contact method is which is measuring the change of height of the specimen during heating. The second method is based on digital image correlation (DIC). This full field optical non contact method will measure the deformation of the object surface. In this paper the two techniques will be compared, in order to verify the full field optical method to measure shrinkage at high temperatures.