Basalt fibers and their products (fabrics, mesh, ropes etc.) are currently widely used as reinforcing elements in composites based on thermosetting plastics. An

The sustainable development of high-performance concrete requires reducing cement consumption while maintaining adequate mechanical and fracture performance. Silica fume is a widely used supplementary cementitious material; however, the combined long-term effects of high replacement levels and fibre reinforcement on fracture behaviour have not been systematically evaluated. In this study, concretes containing 0-50% silica fume were reinforced with 1% steel or polypropylene fibres and tested after curing periods of 28, 90 and 365 days. A total of 110 specimens were experimentally investigated using three-point bending and compression tests to determine compressive strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, fracture toughness and fracture energy. The results indicate that mixtures containing 10-20% silica fume provide the most favourable balance between strength and fracture performance. Concretes reinforced with steel fibres achieved compressive strengths up to 137 MPa and fracture energies exceeding 17 kN/m. Statistical evaluation showed that the Normal distribution generally described the variability of measured parameters more effectively than the Weibull distribution. Furthermore, non-linear regression relationships describing the influence of curing age and silica content on selected material parameters showed good agreement with experimental results within the investigated parameter range. The presented experimental dataset and statistical analysis contribute to understanding the behaviour of fibre-reinforced concretes with silica fume and provide empirical relationships that may assist mixture proportion assessment in engineering practice.

This work develops the knowledge gained so far regarding cement composite materials for 3D processing. Many researches in this area focus mainly on cement composites suitable for 3D printing. However, 3D printing is not the only possible technique of the robotic processing. It also includes modelling with a robotic arm, which allows the creation of various elements that simultaneously fulfil their original function and also have added aesthetic value. The robotic hand works on the principle of creating specific relief using various sculpture or hand tools. This article describes three cement composite mixtures, evaluates mechanical properties and discusses their utilization for various 3D processing technologies.