Mechanical performance of vegetal fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites

Abstract

In order to pursue sustainable objectives in the construction industry, a new composite material using vegetal fibre mesh coated with resin and embedded in mortar is developed and characterized. In this study, meshes of different types of vegetal fibres (flax, hemp, sisal, and cotton) coated with epoxy and polyester resins were manufactured. A mixture of meshes and mortar cast different fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) specimens, which were later subjected to direct tensile tests. The results showed an excellent interaction between the vegetal fibres and the mortar matrix. The coating with epoxy and polyester improved the mechanical properties of the yarns and apparently avoided the typical slipping failures in FRCM composites. Hemp and flax FRCM are the composites that reached the highest mechanical strength, whereas cotton FRCM had the greatest elongation capacity and multicracking response. In addition, an analytical model was proposed and validated by a comparison with the experimental results.

A Textile Waste Fiber-Reinforced Cement Composite: Comparison between Short Random Fiber and Textile Reinforcement

“…World fiber production, including in steel, glass, and polymers, has been steadily increasing in the past few decades and has garnered increasing interest with the use of sustainable fibers produced from renewable, biodegradable, waste, recycled, available, and low-cost resources becoming a focal point. In this sense, vegetable and cellulosic fibers have already been used as reinforcement in cementitious materials for low-to medium-performance structural applications [5,[10][11][12][13]. Textile waste fiber could be another sustainable alternative for reinforcement in cementitious composites.…”

Tensile characterization of multi‐ply fabric‐reinforced cementitious matrix strengthening systems

“…In principle, the tensile characteristics of the distinct constituents of FRCM (i.e., mortar and fabric) do not sufficiently provide indications on the overall FRCM composite behavior; therefore, tensile characterization tests of the FRCM are required to grasp the interaction between the fabric and encompassing mortar within the composite. Consequently, a significant amount of research was devoted in the past few years on the subject of FRCM tensile characterization . In these studies, various types of FRCM fabric were investigated such as carbon, polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO), glass, basalt, aramid, steel, and less often, natural/vegetal fabric .…”

Propiedades Mecánicas De Compuestos De Matriz Cementicia Reforzados Con Tejidos Pretensados (Pfrcm)

“…En este caso, el extensómetro se colocó en una herramienta de acero auxiliar conectada magnéticamente a los bordes internos de las placas de acero adherida a los especímenes. Eso permitió aumentar la longitud de referencia de medición hasta 200 mm, pudiendo capturar la deformación promedio de toda la muestra (ver Figura 2.b y (Mercedes et al, 2018)). Los ensayos de tracción se llevaron a cabo utilizando una prensa electromecánica MTS Insight con una capacidad de 10kN.…”