Durable sisal fiber cement composites reinforced with long unidirectional aligned fibers were developed and their mechanical behavior was characterized in a multi-scale level. Tensile tests were performed in individual sisal fibers. Weibull statistics were used to quantify the degree of variability in fiber strength at different gage lengths. The fiber-matrix pull-out behavior was evaluated at several curing ages and embedded lengths. The composite's mechanical response was measured under direct tension while crack formation was investigated using a high resolution image capturing procedure. Crack spacing was measured using image analysis and correlated with the applied strain under both the tensile and bending response.
Sisal fibers; cement composites; mechanical properties
