PSI - Issue 72

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 72 (2025) 338–344

12th Annual Conference of Society for Structural Integrity and Life (DIVK12) Experimental Study on the Influence of Hemp Fiber Fabrics in Mortar Ivelina Ivanova a, * , Cheikhna Diagana a , Jules Assih a , Isabelle Titeux-Peth a a Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Institut de Thermique, Mécanique, Matériaux (ITheMM,UR 7548), 51100 Reims, France Abstract The trend towards the use of natural fiber is increasing in civil structures. Researchers are actively interested in replacing polymers with natural fibers to reduce environmental impacts. Natural fibers correspond to fibers of plant, animal, or mineral origin and were used as reinforcement in composite materials. This article addresses plant hemp fiber fabrics by presenting their properties, specificities, and use as reinforcement elements in mortar. The experimental research studies the effect of different positioning of added hemp fiber fabrics to mortar and investigates how this affects its mechanical properties. The hemp fiber fabrics were added directly to the mortar. The aim was to examine whether natural hemp fiber fabrics can be used to increase the flexural strength of mortar. Prismatic specimens were reinforced with one and two layers of hemp fiber fabric placed in the mortar. Mechanical strength tests using three-point bending tests were carried out. The results showed an increase in the flexural strength of specimens with hemp fiber fabric compared with the specimens of reference. © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Aleksandar Sedmak, Branislav Djordjevic, Simon Sedmak Dr. Simon Sedmak, ssedmak@mas.bg.ac.rs, Innovation Center of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia

Keywords: Natural fibers; Mechanical behavior; Hemp fabrics; Composite; Cementitious materials

1. Introduction Over the last decade, special attention has been paid to environmental protection, reducing carbon emissions, and using environmentally friendly materials. In this way from the perspective of sustainable development, replacing synthetic with natural fiber as reinforcement elements in the construction field is a first step in respecting

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 ; fax: +0-000-000-0000 . E-mail address : ivelina.ivanova@univ-reims.fr

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Aleksandar Sedmak, Branislav Djordjevic, Simon Sedmak Dr. Simon Sedmak, ssedmak@mas.bg.ac.rs, Innovation Center of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia 10.1016/j.prostr.2025.08.112