Numerical-Experimental Assessment of the Arumã Fiber as Reinforcement to the Cementitious Matrix

Abstract

Composites of high mechanical performance reinforced by fibers need a well set arrangement of them in the matrix so that under reinforcement which they can be submitted, a desirable performance can be shown. Thus, the cement composite studied has a cement matrix which received a reinforcement made by arumã fibers, shaped in bidirectional frames distributed in three layers. Arumã is a typical plant from the Amazon, species from the genus Ischnosiphon polyphyllus, part of the family Marantaceae. This study had the purpose of assessing the cement composites mechanical behaviour from the bending tests in four points and puncture tests in sheets which were supported by the four edges. Having presented mechanical results, a numerical simulation was made through the SAP2000 NonLinear® software, with the aim to obtain a numerical computational model able to represent the composites behaviour up to the point where the loading reaches the greatest amount. The numerical results present a good correlation with those obtained in the experimental tests.

Arumã- Handicraft, Innovation and Identity

“…Come materia prima naturale e rinnovabile, tale pianta è largamente impiegata dalle popolazioni indigene per la produzione di setacci, ceste, tappeti e accessori, realizzati con la tecnica tradizionale della fibra intrecciata. Inoltre, gli oggetti in Arumã rappresentano una fonte di reddito importante per le famiglie locali (Matsuno, 2000;Marques, 2009;Marques, 2015;Rios, 2011).…”