Effect of fabric material and tightness on the mechanical properties of fabric-cement composites

This study shows the effect of fabric tightness and fabric material on the mechanical properties of fabric-cement composites. Six fabric designs from the same fabric material were used. These fabric designs are vary in the specific tightness. Also, three fabric materials with the same fabric design were used in this work. Different sets of specimens were made, after that these specimens were tested on tensile and bending testing machines. It was found that the mechanical properties of the composite materials were influenced by the length of the warp thread float, i.e. the longer is the yarns float in the fabric, the greater is the tensile strength properties of the reinforced fabric, its construction and the material of the reinforced fabric. Therefore, it is recommended to use fabric with yarns with higher tenacity in the direction of the application of load and with either long float or minimum number of intersections.