Multicriteria performance evaluation of fiber-reinforced cement composites: An environmental perspective

Cement composites have the intrinsic drawback of low flexural strength and crack endurance. Many studies have been conducted to improve the mechanical performance of cement composites by employing commercially available fibers, but less attention has been paid to the environmental impacts associated with these fibers. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate and compare the performance of different fiber reinforced cement composites (FRCCs) based on their mechanical strength, environmental impact potential, and cost. For this purpose, the overall performance of six different fiber (such as Recycled carbon fiber (rCF), Basalt Fiber (BF), Glass fiber (GF), Polypropylene fiber (PPF), Polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PVAF), and Virgin carbon fiber (vCF)) reinforced cement composites were evaluated. Results revealed that the flexural strength of recycled carbon fiber reinforced cement composite (M-rCF) was highest among all other FRCCs. Moreover, depending on the environmental impact category, the lowest impacts were employed by M-rCF and M-PPF. At the same time, the minimum production cost was associated with M-PPF. Therefore, a multicriteria decision technique was employed to evaluate the overall performance of all the FRCCs. Based on the performance score, the FRCCs can be ranked as: M-rCF > M-PPF > M-BF > M-GF > M-PVAF > M-vCF.

Automated summary

This study evaluated and compared the performance of different fiber reinforced cement composites, with recycled carbon fiber reinforced cement composite showing the highest flexural strength, lowest environmental impact, and minimum production cost. Based on the performance score, the FRCCs were ranked as follows: M-rCF > M-PPF > M-BF > M-GF > M-PVAF > M-vCF.