Abstract
Both finer sand and nanoparticles have a filler effect on mechanical performance of cement-based composite. In this paper, the influence of sand size in mechanical performance of cement-based composites, containing polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PVA) and nano-SiO2 (NS), was investigated. The studied mechanical performance, included compressive, flexural, tensile strength, and fracture toughness. A 0.9% volumetric percentage of PVA and a 2% NS mass content were used to make cement-based composites with a 0.38 w/b. Silica sand with four sand size ranges (380–830 μm, 212–380 μm, 120–212 μm and 75–120 μm) was adopted as fine aggregate. The 28-day curing was conducted for all specimens under 20 °C and 95% humidity. It is concluded that the finer sand decreased workability and mechanical strength of PVA-reinforced composites containing NS. However, this reduction was very limited for the sand particles less than 380 µm. The ultimate tensile stain, fracture toughness, and energy were decreased as sand size declined. In addition, the fracture performance of the composites was greatly dependent on fracture energy.
Highlights
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber reinforced cementitious composites have drawn great attention in construction because of their high ductility and excellent fracture performance [1]
This paper investigated the effect of sand size on mechanical performance of cement-based composites containing
(1) Finer sand significantly reduced the workability of the cement-based composites with PVA
Summary
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber reinforced cementitious composites have drawn great attention in construction because of their high ductility and excellent fracture performance [1]. Materials 2020, 13, 325 fiber reinforced-cementitious composites need an enhanced bond strength between the cementitious matrix and fibers to ensure sufficient mechanical performance and ductility. The nanoparticles are typically used as a cementitious material to strengthen the bond between PVA and matrix They can promote hydration process and fill pores in cement-based composites to decrease total porosity and enhance mechanical properties [16,17,18]. The mechanical properties of cementitious composites can be improved, by addition of PVA fibers and NS, and by improving particle size of the sand used. In this study, the effect of particle size on sand on mechanical performance of cement-based composite containing PVA fiber and NS was studied.
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