An appropriate vacuum technology for manufacture of corrugated fique fiber reinforced cementitious sheets

This paper reports the experiences of making Portland cement based corrugated roof sheets with the reinforcement of a Colombian natural fiber, named fique. The sheets were manufactured by a vacuum forming process. The raw material components of the sheets are given. The average flexural load to failure reported 2875 N/m at 14 curing days, which it is considered appropriate for a roofing sheet. Corrugated sheets produced with asbestos fibers using the same variables of processing reported 2400 N/m. Column permeability tests showed satisfactory results for the tried composites. The vacuum cylinder forming process for manufacture of corrugated sheets at the level of small scale production is promissory because is an environmental friendly low cost appropriate technology that does not need skilled labor.