Tensile Properties of Cement Boards Reinforced with 3D Textile Grid

Abstract

This study proposes a finite-element modeling approach based on the representative volume element to simulate the tensile behavior of textile-reinforced cementitious composites. The model incorporates a three-dimensional (3D) Hashin damage criterion and a progressive damage evolution model based on fracture energy to efficiently simulate the damage process of resin-impregnated fiber bundle composites. By comparing the tensile performance of cement matrices reinforced with single-layer, double-layer, and 3D textile grids, the research quantitatively analyzes the influence of weft fiber bundles, spatial fiber angle, and textile layer count on the composite’s tensile properties. Based on continuum damage mechanics theory, this study proposes an equivalent stress-strain constitutive model that comprehensively describes four characteristic stages: linear elastic deformation, matrix cracking damage, full load-bearing of fiber bundles, and fiber bundle fracture failure. The results demonstrate that characterizing the macroscopic mechanical properties through analyzing the tensile behavior of the smallest periodic structure achieves both computational efficiency and accuracy. The proposed model, integrating the 3D Hashin failure criterion with a fracture energy-controlled progressive damage evolution law, effectively captures the complete damage process of both fiber bundles and cementitious matrix under tensile loading. Results reveal that the spatial fiber bundles in 3D hollow-woven grids exhibit limited contribution to tensile performance, whereas key determinants include the volume fraction, spacing distribution, and mechanical properties of weft-direction fiber bundles. The tensile properties of 3D textile-reinforced cement boards are approximately twice those of single-layer textile-reinforced cement boards. The proposed four-stage tensile stress-strain model can accurately describe the mechanical behavior of the textile-reinforced cement board during the tensile process and is highly consistent with the finite-element simulation results.