Enhancement of durability of glass fiber-reinforced cement with PVA

Abstract

The main thrust of this research was to determine the effectiveness of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) powder in enhancing the durability of short GFRC materials. Accelerated aging of the materials was achieved through low-pressure steam curing in a moist chamber. The strength and ductility of GFRC were measured by the direct tension test, which showed that incorporation of PVA powder into GFRC could improve its mechanical behaviour and turn it from brittle to ductile. To investigate the mechanism of the tensile strength enhancement, the fiber-matrix interface was examined by polarizing optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). It was found that PVA powder tended to migrate to the fiber-matrix interfacial zone and thus prevented the accumulation of calcium hydroxide in this area. PVA film around the fiber resulted in a more ductile interfacial microstructure and better bonding between fiber and matrix, which should be responsible for enhancing the tensile property and preventing the aging of GFRC. Furthermore, PVA powder reduced the microhardness and brittleness at the interface.