Open Access

ARTICLE

Mechanical Behavior of Cementitious Composites Reinforced with Nonwoven Fabrics: A Numerical Modeling Study

Bahareh Ramzikhalesi^1,*, Ali Rakhsh-Mahpour¹, Josep Claramunt-Blanes², Ernest Bernat-Maso³

1 Department of Architectural Technology, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
2 Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Castelldefels, Spain
3 Department of Strength of Materials and Structures in Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Terrassa, Spain

* Corresponding Author: Bahareh Ramzikhalesi. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Numerical Modeling of Composite Structures and Repairs)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2026, 147(2), 13 https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2026.080138

Received 03 February 2026; Accepted 02 May 2026; Issue published 27 May 2026

Abstract

The mechanical behavior of nonwoven fabrics as reinforcement in cementitious composites remains insufficiently explored, particularly from a numerical modeling perspective, despite their growing interest as sustainable alternatives to conventional textiles. This study presents a simplified, engineering-oriented numerical modeling framework for reproducing the flexural mechanical response of cementitious composites reinforced with flax nonwoven fabric. Four-point bending (flexural) behavior of nonwoven fabric–reinforced cementitious composites was numerically simulated using ANSYS software. The model is developed using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and incorporates a Representative Volume Element (RVE) approach to account for the heterogeneous fiber–matrix interaction. The required material properties were iteratively calibrated using existing experimental data for three composite configurations comprising 4, 5, and 6 layers. The proposed model demonstrated agreement with experimental results within the investigated configurations, achieving normalized root mean square errors (nRMSE) of 5.2%, 4.6%, and 2.07% for the respective configurations. Furthermore, correlations between material parameters and geometric factors were identified, providing preliminary insights for estimating model input properties from easily measurable variables. Finally, sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the influence of key geometric and material parameters on the structural response, offering valuable insights for the optimized design of nonwoven fabric-reinforced cementitious composites.

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