R&D with focus on timber-concrete composite construction
The aim of the project "GRO COCE - Hemp fiber-reinforced, high-performance and resource-efficient wood-concrete composite ceilings" was to develop an innovative ceiling system based on the wood-concrete composite construction method.
Together with two companies, the Saxon Textile Research Institute (STFI) Chemnitz and the and the Institute for Concrete Construction IfB of the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) are working on hemp fiber-reinforced composite ceilings as an economical and ecologically advantageous alternative to the energy- and resource-intensive reinforced concrete ceiling constructions that currently prevail.
The resulting innovative ceiling system consists of wooden webs whose tension zone is reinforced with high-performance hemp fiber-based reinforcement textiles. This enables a significant reduction in the required timber cross-section and a more appropriate and responsible use of the cross-section for all standard spans in high-rise and multi-storey construction. In the project, the partners developed a high-performance hemp base semi-finished product and the steps for its reproducible production by means of textile surface formation.
In terms of mechanical properties, in particular stiffness, strength values in the range of conventional glass fiber composites (GRP) are achieved.