Staple wire-reinforced high-volume fly-ash cement paste composites

Short wire staples, ranging from 0% to 3.5% by volume, were used to reinforce high-volume fly-ash cement paste. Previously proposed spacing equations for steel fibers and the effects of fiber volume on the physical and mechanical properties of the composites were analyzed. The volume of fiber influences physical and mechanical properties of the composites: high regression correlations (R2 > 0.8) for fiber volume were found with unit mass, spacing, and strength ratios after 28 days of curing the pastes. The concept of fiber spacing could be used with accuracy to predict basic physical and mechanical properties of these materials.