Development of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Fine-Grained Cementitious Composites for Textile Reinforcements

Cementitious composites have been the prevalent field of research in recent eras due to their excellent bending and high strains. However, textile reinforcement requires materials with fine grain size to make proper binding between the yarns in the textile reinforcement and improve the strength characteristics. This concern has led to the development of fine-grained cementitious composites by dispersing chopped basalt fiber to improve strain-hardening capabilities with reduced voids. The basalt fiber content is varied by 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5 and 1% to the volume of the cementitious matrix. Various testing methods have evaluated the mechanical and microstructural properties of fine-grained cementitious composites with basalt fiber. Adding basalt fiber up to 0.4% to the volume of the matrix improves the compressive, split tensile, flexural strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity compared to the controlled cementitious matrix. Also, higher fiber content escalated the impact resistance and degree of carbonation. From the results, obtained basalt fiber reinforced fine-grained cementitious composites have higher mechanical characteristics, and the particles are densely packed compared to cementitious composites. Thus it provides good bonding between the textile reinforcement and helps to construct thin structural elements.