Flexural strength of high-ductile mortar (HDM), with Polyvinyl Alcohol fibres, depends upon the material selections, mix proportions, mixing method and casting procedure. High-ductile mortar should have higher flexural strength with its high deformation behaviour. Author carried out experimental work to identify the appropriate size, combination and content of Polyvinyl Alcohol fibres required for HDM. Three types of fibres as RMH182 (φ14 µm × 6 mm), REC15 (φ40 µm × 12 mm) and RECS100 (φ100 µm × 12 mm) were used in the experiment. The flexural strength of 9.01 MPa was obtained from the mortar with 1.5% (by volume) of RMH182 fibre. Those values were 8.65 MPa and 8.01 MPa from the mortar with 2% of REC15 and RECS100 fibres, respectively. The use of 2% of REC15 fibre gave higher flexural strength (9.5 MPa) than that from the combination of 1% of REC15 and 1% of RECS100 fibres (9.1 MPa). It was concluded that the thinner fibre gives the higher flexural strength than from the thicker one, and the single size fibre is better than the combination of two different types.
The plain cement mortar is weak in flexural and ductility behavior. If the thin and short synthetic fibers, like Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) fibers, are uniformly distributed and well coated with mortar, it enhances the both flexural and ductility. The directional dispersion effect of PVA fibers was investigated on the flexural and deflection behaviors of High Ductile Mortar (HDM). In the first attempt, 2-dimensional dispersion effect was studied with the HDM beams of different depths. And in the second, the 50mm beam mold was cast with 1 layer (50 mm depth of layer) and 5 layers (10 mm depth of each layer). The flexural strength of 12 mm deep beams increased by about 35% than that from 48mm beams, with an increase of deflection by about 800%. The flexural strength of five layers casting (10mm each) beams was increased by about 36% than from the one-layer (50 mm) casting, with an increase in the deflection by about 410%. The analytical model satisfied the experimental results. The 2-dimensional dispersed fibers enhanced the both flexural and deflection behaviors of HDM. It is recommended not to use the fibers of length not less than the thickness of the casting layer. This result was used for the manufacture of lightweight composite panels.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.