Degradation of natural fiber in ternary blended cement composites containing metakaolin and montmorillonite

The influence of a coupled substitution of metakaolin and montmorillonite in Portland cement on degradation of natural fiber was investigated. In addition to durability of fiber-cement composites, degradation of the embedded natural fiber was directly investigated by means of tensile properties, crystallinity, chemical components and microstructure. The results indicate that the combination of these clay minerals validates their synergic effect on mitigating fiber's deterioration by modifying hydration products and reducing alkalinity of pore solutions in cement. Correlations between cement hydration and fiber degradation demonstrate that both mineralization and alkali hydrolysis of natural fiber can be substantially mitigated through this method. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.