Interfacial Adhesion between Textile Fibers and Clay Mortar

Abstract

Short fiber–reinforced clay mortar is known as an important structural material in traditional and rural buildings because it not only provides superior mechanical properties but can also be easily produced by the rapid, low-cost molding process. The adhesion of the fibers to clay mortar has a significant role in the mechanical characteristics of fiber-reinforced mortar. In this study, interfacial shear stress (ISS) between nine different fibers and clay mortar was investigated by performing the Microbond test. Based on the findings, date palm fiber, hollow polyester, and polypropylene, respectively, demonstrated the highest degree of ISS with clay mortar; nevertheless, the lowest degree belonged to goat hair, acrylic, and wool, respectively. The critical lengths of the fibers to be embedded in the mortar as the short fiber reinforcements were calculated. The highest critical length belonged to glass fibers and date palm, respectively, and the lowest values belonged to acrylic, polyester, polypropylene, and wool, respectively.