Spatial Distribution of Aligned Short Fibers in Cement Composites

The effect of fiber length on the mechanical properties of extruded cement-based polyvinyl alcohol fiber composites is strongly associated with the distribution of the fibers in the material. Statistical methods from the theory of point processes can be used to describe these patterns by straightforward and easily calculated statistics. The intensity of the fibers in different parts of a sample yields a general description of the fiber pattern, but the effects of length are expressed through second-moment measures that are found to be distinct for different fiber lengths and that are strongly associated with material properties.