Title:
Statistical Evaluation of Mechanical and Physical
Properties of Cellulose Fiber Reinforced Cement
Comr posites
Author(s):
Parviz Soroushian, Shashidhara Marikunte, and Jong-Pil Won
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
92
Issue:
2
Appears on pages(s):
172-180
Keywords:
cellulose fibers; cement composites; flexural strength; mix
proportioning; moisture; strength.
DOI:
10.14359/9768
Date:
3/1/1995
Abstract:
Cellulose fibers derived from softwoods and hardwoods, being cheap and plentiful, have gained broad popularity for the reinforcement of thin-sheet cement products. This research is concerned with the effects of cellulose fiber reinforcement conditions and the composition of matrix on the mechanical and physical properties of cellulose fiber reinforced cement composites. An experimental program was developed based on the statistical method of fractional factorial design. The variables of the experimental study were: 1) cellulose fiber type (softwood and hardwood); 2) fiber mass content (4 and 8 percent); 3) partial substitution of cement with pozzolans (30 percent fly ash or 1.5 percent silica fume); 4) moisture conditions (air-dried and saturated); and 5) silica sand content (silica sand-cement ratio = 0.5 and 1.0). The composites were manufactured using a batch-type slurry dewatering technique and were tested for flexural performance and moisture-sensitivity. Specific gravity, water absorption, and moisture movement characteristics of the composites were also assessed. Statistically reliable conclusions were derived, based on factorial analysis of variance of the generated test data, regarding the effects of wood fiber reinforcement and other mix proportioning variables, as well as moisture conditions, on various aspects of the composite material performance in different moisture conditions.