Length effects of PE-based selvage fibers on fresh, fiber dispersion, and tensile properties of engineered cementitious composites

Due to high cost and embodied energy of synthetic fibers, their use in engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) is a barrier against the practical applications of ECC. This study investigated the length effects of fibers obtained from polyethylene-based selvage, the edges of woven fabrics that are normally discarded, on fresh, fiber dispersion, and tensile properties of ECC. Three ECC mixtures were designed with selvage fibers with lengths of 5, 10, and 15 mm. Mini-slump and mechanical tests were performed, and fiber dispersion was evaluated. Test results showed that flowability increased as the length of selvage fibers decreased. On the other hand, compressive strength, tensile strength, and tensile strain capacity increased as the length of selvage fibers increased. It was observed that the length of selvage fibers had little influence on fiber dispersion. The tensile properties of F-5 mixture, showing minimum performance, were superior to those of recycled fiber-reinforced ECCs.