Flexural Behavior of Cementitious Composites Reinforced by Synthetic Fibers

The application of fibers to reinforce cementitious materials is a well-known subject. At first, asbestos fibers are used in industrial process to produce fiber reinforced cement sheets. Thereafter, various types of synthetic fibers are produced and used as asbestos substitutes. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effect of synthetic fibers on the flexural behavior of cementitious composites. In this study, the flexural strength of cement-based materials reinforced by three different types of synthetic fibers (polypropylene (PP), polyamide 66 (PA66) and acrylic (PAN)) is studied at various volume contents. It was found that although PAN and PA66 improve maximum flexural load borne by the cementitous composite before failure, the PAN fibers improves toughness of cementitous composites about 30% more than PP and PA66 fibers.