Durability of Glass‐Fiber‐Reinforced Cements with Different Alkali‐Resistant Glass Fibers

The durability of glass‐fiber‐reinforced cement composites prepared with different commercial alkali‐resistant glass fiber strands was studied to determine the effect of aging in different environments on the flexural behavior of the composites and on their microstructure. Considerable differences in degradation of mechanical properties could be observed in composites prepared with different glass fiber strands, and they could be correlated with the SEM observations: higher rates of degradation were obtained in composites in which hydration products grew more readily between the glass filaments. It is suggested that during the first year of aging in water at 207deg;C, this growth of hydration products is mainly responsible for the reduction in mechanical properties; chemical degradation of the glass does not play an important role, at least not at this earlier stage.