Mechanical behavior of waste fishing net fiber-reinforced cementitious composites subjected to direct tension

In this study, we investigated the mechanical behavior of waste fishing net (WFN) fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCCs) subjected to direct tension to evaluate the possibility of using WFN fibers as reinforcement in cementitious composites. Three different WFN fibers, two commercial (C) polypropylene (PP) fibers, and two fiber volumes (0.5 and 1.0%) were considered as test variables to explore the effect of adding WFN fiber to a cement mortar. As the fiber volume was increased, both the compressive and first cracking strengths decreased, while the post-cracking strength increased. Reinforced samples (WFN3-FRCCs) with a 0.5% fiber volume exhibited the highest compressive strength, while those with a fiber volume of 1.0% had the highest post-cracking strength. The compressive and post-cracking strengths of WFN3-FRCCs were 6–10% and 2–13% higher than those of C-FRCCs, respectively. Therefore, WFN-fibers consisting of twisted yarns, which generate mechanical bonds during fiber pull-out, are appropriate for reinforcing cement mortar, thereby improving their strength and ductility under tensile loads.