Mechanical Property and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness of Mortar Produced with Radiation-Proof Cloths

Abstract

This paper explores a new way to recycle wasted radiation-proof cloths and produced a cost-effective material for electromagnetic shielding. Chopped fiber (CF), produced from radiation-proof cloths made from copper-plated Dacron (CPD) and silver-plated Dacron (SPD), is used as the conductive material to manufacture electromagnetic interference (EMI)-shielding mortars. The electrical resistivity and strength of CF mortar is investigated. The effects of CF content, CF length, and sample thickness on the shielding effectiveness (SE) in the frequency range .3–3, MHz is studied. Test results show that the electrical resistivity decreases rapidly with the increase of CF content. The addition of CPD could improve both compressive and flexural strength of mortar. The compressive strength increases and the flexure strength decreases with the addition of SPD. The maximum compressive strength reaches 4.9 and 36.5 MPa for CPD and SPD mortars, respectively. The SE curves have small difference for these two types of mortars. The increase of CF content, CF length, and sample thickness could all enhance the SE, but to a different extent. For this type of mortar, the maximum peak value of 47.7 dB is obtained at a frequency of 2,47 MHz with a thickness of 3 mm.