Mechanical Performance and Durability of Cement Composites Reinforced with Aligned Enset Fibers

Driven by the need for alternative construction materials, recent developments have been steered towards the use of natural fiber reinforced cement composites. Ensete Ventricosum (Ev) offers a promising candidate as reinforcement in cement matrices but has not yet been studied in the literature. This research assessed the mechanical performance and durability of Ev fiber reinforced cement composites. Cracking behaviour was studied using the optical Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. The Ev fiber reinforced composites achieved a desirable post-cracking behaviour and the stiffness, toughness, and flexural strength increased with increasing fiber dosages. After 6 and 12 wet/dry cycles and 50 heat/rain cycles, all composites showed significant strength losses. This was attributed to the severe degradation of the Ev fibers and their low volume fraction.