Mechanical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites
Summary
Fiber-reinforced cementitious composites integrate discrete fibres into cement-based matrices to enhance load-bearing capacity, ductility and crack resistance. The addition of steel, glass, polymer or carbon fibres modifies the stress–strain response under compression, tension and flexure. Key mechanical attributes include elevated tensile and flexural strength, strain-hardening behaviour and controlled crack widths, often accompanied by post-peak load retention. At the microstructural level, the fibre-matrix interface governs load transfer and energy dissipation via mechanisms such as fibre pull-out and debonding. Variations in fibre geometry, surface treatment and volume fraction enable tailoring of stiffness, toughness and serviceability. Advances in multiscale design have combined nano- and micro-reinforcements to achieve ultra-high performance composites with compressive strengths exceeding 150 MPa and tensile strains beyond 1 %. The global significance of these materials spans resilient infrastructure, seismic retrofit, marine structures and sustainable construction through incorporation of industrial by-products and recycled fibre wastes.
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Mechanical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites publication trend
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Technical terms
Fibre volume fraction: Proportion of fibre material by volume in the composite, influencing stiffness and strength.
Interfacial transition zone (ITZ): The region around a fibre in cement paste where microstructural and chemical gradients affect bond properties.
Strain-hardening: Behaviour in which the composite sustains increasing load beyond first crack by distributing damage across multiple microcracks.
Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC): Cementitious matrix designed for compressive strengths typically above 120 MPa, often incorporating silica fume and fine aggregates.
Engineered cementitious composite (ECC): A class of ductile composites exhibiting strain-hardening and tight crack control through optimized polymer or steel fibre additions.
References
- Flexible Ultra-High Performance Reinforced Cementitious Composite Plates Based on Multiscale Fibrous Reinforcements. Engineering (2025).
- Recycling of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite wastes in concrete: A critical review and cost benefit analysis. Structures (2023).
- Influence on the Flexural Behaviour of High-Volume Fly-Ash-Based Concrete Slab Reinforced with Sustainable Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Sheets. Journal of Composites Science (2022).
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