Cross-section through hempcrete timber frame construction, revealing the layers from left to right: lime render, hempcrete, formaldehyde-free engineered wood, structural timber frame with grass insulation, hempcrete, and cork expanded insulation as the interior finish. Altogether, these materials provide superior thermal and acoustic insulation, while promoting healthy indoor environment.
Biocomposite cork plastic composite (CPC) injection moulded from cork granules mixed with thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer (TPO). This type of composite is good for its tactile, energy absorbing and anti-sliding properties. It is used in handles, sports products and shoe soles, for example. Likewise, cork is used in wood plastic composite (WPC), in combination with polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) for outdoor and furniture applications.
Cork aggregate mixed with lime based render or plaster provides a lightweight, insulating and vapour permeable surface finish for interiors. Here is it applied to hempcrete to provide a breathable, acoustic interior finish.
Cork agglomerate applied as the core in a carbon fibre reinforced epoxy sandwich panels, demonstrating forming possibilities. Cork has the potential to provide acoustic and vibration benefits in applications such as automotive, aircraft cabins and wind turbine blades
Commissioned by Wallpaper* Magazine to participate in their annual Handmade exhibition, Todd Bracher Studio was paired with Amorim, a Portuguese cork manufacturer, to produce an art piece exploring this familiar medium in a fun, unfamiliar context. In this case, corkskin made from thin sheets of solid cork bonded together, is treated like a textile and fabricated into a jacket. Image Todd Bracher Studio.
Cork has a Poisson's ration of close to zero, meaning that it exhibits little to no lateral deformation when experiencing an axial load, and visa versa, making it the ideal candidate for sealing bottles
The ancient cork trees dotted across the hillsides in Portugal are considered so important to life that here it is illegal to cut them down, dead or alive. And harvesting the bark is so integral to the landscape that farming has evolved around them. The beautiful black pigs reared on their acorns are valuable enough to be hidden far from the road.
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