It is clear that fibers play a crucial role in the application and serviceability of the composite fiber cement boards. Some of these attributes include resistance to cracking, super lightweight, long lasting durable and flexibility.
Compared to concrete, fiber cement boards have superior performance as they contain more fibers and are thin. For many years, asbestos fiber were the most common added ingredients in a group of construction materials known as fiber-cement composites. But today, this option has become unacceptable because of its negative effects on human health.
The question now centers on the type of fibers that can be used for efficiency while still safe for human health. There are many types of fibers available in the market like PVA, glass fiber, carbon, mineral fiber… but the best ideal we mainly choose for our board is cellulose fiber, noted as chemical wood pulp offer an advantage over other fibers listed.
Coming here, some key questions may enter your head that How much cellulose fiber? and How it works?
In fact, cellulose fiber affects on both the flocculation, retention and drainage processes in the fiber-cement manufacture and the mechanical and physical properties of the fiber-cement board.
One characteristic is that as the fiber content increases in the composite, there will be a resulting decline in fiber cement density. The amount of fibers used in the composite also significantly affects the strength.
It is also well understood that fiber length also is one of the most important factors in the properties of fiber cement. The longer fibers impart, the higher fracture toughness to fiber cement. It is believed that short fibers do not provide any significant bridging properties upon micro-crack development and generally act more as fillers.
In summary, the cellulose fiber plays a very important role in the structure of the fiber cement board. Using long fibers and keeping it in the limit required for its application will help you to get the board with ideal quality.