The influence of date palm mesh fibre reinforcement on flexural and fracture behaviour of a cement-based mortar

The aim of the present paper is to investigate both flexural and fracture properties of a cement-based mortar reinforced with Date Palm Mesh (DPM) fibres. In particular, three-point bending tests on DPM fibre-reinforced specimens (with different fibre volume fractions) are performed. On the basis of the experimental results, the value of flexural strength is computed as a function of the peak load according to the UNI Recommendations, whereas the value of fracture toughness is analytically determined according to the Modified Two-Parameter Model (MTPM) recently proposed by some of the present authors for quasi-brittle materials.