Wood Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites under Wetting‐Drying and Freezing‐Thawing Cycles

Abstract

Wood fiber reinforced cement composites provide the highest performance‐to‐cost ratio among fibrous cement composites being considered for the replacement of asbestos cement. Fairly strong and stiff wood fibers are particularly suited for the reinforcement of thin‐sheet cement products. There is, however, concern regarding the long‐term performance of wood fiber reinforced cement composites exposed to repeated freezing‐thawing conditions. An experimental study was undertaken in order to investigate the performance of wood fiber reinforced cement composites containing 2% mass fraction of kraft and mechanical pulps. Comprehensive replicated test data were generated for various test cycles, and were statistically analyzed using the analysis of variance and multiple comparison techniques to derive reliable conclusions. The results of this investigation showed, at a 95% level of confidence, that non‐air‐entrained wood fiber reinforced cement composites performed desirably under repeated freeze‐thaw cycles, while plain cementitious matrices were susceptible to the freezing and thawing environment.