Influences of nylon fiber geometries and contents on mechanical behavior of reinforced mortar

Abstract

Used nylon fishing nets were utilized as recycled nylon (RN) short fibers for reinforcing cement mortar. Fishing nets were cut into specified shapes and lengths, then mixed into mortar. In this study, the influences of fiber geometries such as diameter, aspect ratio and the fiber content on the me chanical properties of mortar were emphasized. Changes in flowability of fresh mortar, compressive strength, flexural strength, failure behavior, flexural toughness, residual strength factors were experimentally investigated and compared among various mixes. Experimental results indicated that fiber geometries as well as fiber content directly affect the mechanical properties of mortar. Adding fibers was found to reduce flowability and compressive strength of the mortar. For instance, using sharp-shapes reduced compressive strength by 41% while using cross-shapes improved flexural strength by 44.5%. Improvement in flexural strength and flexural toughness were found in association with the fiber content. RN fiber contributes to the post-peak loading capacity and prevents abrupt failure of concrete structures.