Cement reinforcement.(Building and construction)

Milliken and Co of Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, has patented a technique for reinforcing cementitious articles with fabrics.

In International Patent WO2005/082065, the company says its approach ideally uses fabrics made from high-tenacity polypropylene monofilament with a 3% secant modulus of elasticity of at least 8.83 N x te[x.sup.-1] (100 g a denier). It proposes using the concept products such as panels, composites and boards.

Generally cementitious products are strong under compression, but may crack or break under tensile shearing, bending, curing