Virtual manufacturing and mechanical properties of synthetic fiber-reinforced mortars

The composition of mortars was improved since ancient times, even using natural fibers, or natural polymers. The physico-chemical, mechanical and elastic properties of the fiber-reinforced cement-based materials depend on the fiber's properties (shape, contents and orientation) and the properties of the matrix. Given the wide range of fibers available for experimental use which can be embedded in the cementitious matrix, an important aspect is to estimate the properties of the composite before investigating. Virtual manufacturing reduces the need for laboratory tests and thus saves raw materials, but special computer programs are needed for the preliminary simulation of the behavior of newly-designed materials. This paper introduces a computer modeling approach to simulate the effect of the different types of short fibers on the traditional cement-based mortar properties and to compare the obtained values with the experimental test results.