The impact of natural fibers’ characteristics on mechanical properties of the cement composites
Marzena Kurpińska, Magdalena Pawelska-Mazur, Yining Gu, Filip Kurpiński
Abstract
The paper reviews the properties of cement composites reinforced with short fibres. The effect of natural fibres was investigated: cotton, sisal, jute, ramie, bamboo, and synthetic fibres: polymer and polypropylene. It was noticed that the fibres change the consistency of the mixture up to 15%. In the composite flexural strength tests, a change in strength by +/- 8% was observed, depending on the type of fibres used. The research shows that the use of natural fibres had a positive effect on the compressive strength by 27%, while the use of synthetic fibres caused its decrease by 4%. Additionally, it was noticed that the chemical composition, the diameter and the total length of the fibres in the element have an impact on the composite shrinkage. The fibre-containing composites showed an 8% higher water absorption compared to the non-fibre samples. The exception is the ramie fibres, which reduce water absorption. In general, a positive effect of natural fibers on the properties of cement composites has been noticed, however, in case of natural fibres application, a thorough further properties investigation is recommended.