An Experimental Campaign on the Use of Natural Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Matrixes

An experimental campaign has been carried out with the aim of using some natural materials as structural reinforcement. In a first stage, jute fabrics are investigated through uniaxial tensile tests. At this level, the chemical treatment with Ca(OH)2 tends to reduce the strength of the vegetal reinforcement. Nevertheless, this treatment seems to improve the bond between fabric and cementitious matrix. Indeed, the strength of FRCM reinforced with treated jute or flax are larger than those untreated. Similarly to the industrially produced reinforcement, as the bond strength increases, an increasing number of cracks can be observed in FRCM reinforced with vegetal fabrics. When large structural elements, such as existing brick walls, are reinforced by FRCM containing jute or flax, the strength and the fracture toughness is larger than those measured in plain walls. In particular, the increment of ductility is in direct proportion with the number of cracks developed by FRCM under uniaxial tension.