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Tailored Poisson's Ratio-reinforced Cementitious Composites for flexural applications

Journal Article (2026)
Author(s)

Rowin J.M. Bol (TU Delft - Materials and Environment)

Wen Zhou (TU Delft - Materials and Environment, Nanyang Technological University)

Zhaozheng Meng (TU Delft - Materials and Environment)

Erik Schlangen (TU Delft - Materials and Environment)

Branko Šavija (TU Delft - Materials and Environment)

Research Group
Materials and Environment
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2026.106485
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Research Group
Materials and Environment
Volume number
168
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Abstract

The use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) to create reinforcements for cementitious composites has become a popular research topic in recent years. One illustrative example is the integration of 3D-printed auxetic reinforcements into cementitious matrices, which exhibit superior energy absorption due to their negative Poisson's ratio. This presents the opportunity to tailor the Poisson's ratio of reinforcements to align with local stress distributions and enhance structural efficiency. In this study, Tailored Poisson's Ratio-reinforcements (TPR) were proposed, characterized by a linear gradient of Poisson's ratios along the height of the reinforcement to accommodate varying stress profiles within beams. Specifically, the top chords of TPR exhibit negative Poisson's ratios (auxetic), undergoing lateral contraction under compression and providing confinement to the surrounded matrix. Conversely, the bottom chords possess positive Poisson's ratios, contributing to lateral contraction under tension. These lateral deformations cause a shift in the principal stress state of the confined matrix, extending the loading path in stress space and actively delaying failure. Three novel Tailored Poisson's Ratio-reinforced Cementitious Composite (TPRCC) designs are developed and tested under four-point bending in this study. Experimental recordings indicate increases in load capacity and toughness of up to 191% and 6900% with respect to plain mortar, respectively.