Evaluation of mechanical properties and abrasion resistance of PAN fiber-reinforced sulfoaluminate cement composites

The studies of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber-reinforced composites primarily focused on Portland cement, and there are few researches related to its effect on the performance of sulfoaluminate cement (SAC). The role of PAN fibers on the mechanical properties and abrasion resistance of SAC-based mortars is studied in this work, and the improvement mechanism of PAN fibers is investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography (CT). The results demonstrate that the use of PAN fibers significantly enhances the strengths, compressive toughness, and abrasion resistance of the mortars, especially the early performance. The PAN fibers with grooves helped form a strong bond with the matrix. Based on the CT scan results, the fibers effectively inhibit microcrack initiation and restrain crack propagation under loading because they play a positive role in pull-out, crack bridging, and deflection, which is confirmed by SEM observation. This study provides the theoretical support for application of PAN fiber-reinforced sulfoaluminate cement composites in rush repair and construction of pavements.