Parameters related to fiber length and processing in cementitious composites

Effects of fiber length on the tensile and flexural performance of cast and extruded PVA fiber reinforced cement composites were investigated. Microstructural characterization, image analysis, and statistical tools were used to study the influence of processing and fiber length on fiber-matrix bond, fiber dispersion and fiber orientation in the composites. In the extruded composites, shorter fibers improved the performance. In the cast composites, longer fibers gave the best performance. This contradictory trend was found to be a result of differences in fiber failure mechanism, fiber distribution and fiber orientation. Microstructural observations indicated a strong matrix-fiber bond for the extruded composites. Statistical quantification of image analysis indicated a better distribution and alignment of shorter fibers in extruded composites.