Effects of Bamboo Cellulose Micro-Fibers on Mechanical Characteristics and Porosity of Cement Mortar

Abstract

This study presents the effect of utilizing cellulose microfibers obtained through extraction from bamboo as reinforcement on mortar mixtures. The mixture proportions used in this experiment are 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of bamboo cellulose fiber by weight of cement as additional material in mortar mixture. It was found that the optimum compressive strength of 36.4 MPa was achieved by the sample with 1.5% of bamboo cellulose fiber as additional material with water to binder ratio of 0.5. A similar trend was also found in the result of flexural strength of mortar due to bamboo cellulose fiber addition, reaching the value of 6.31 MPa on the 28th day, which is 52% higher than the flexural strength of control mortar. From the porosity results, the percentage of mortar porosity containing micro-fibers ranged from 4.6-9.1%, lower than the porosity of control mortar, indicating that the addition of fibers led to fill in the pores, resulting in a denser cement matrix. The performances of the cellulose fiber contributed to the strength development and porosity resistance of mortar even with low volume fraction, making it a potential to be used as material building construction, for instance, masonry mortar, repair mortar, rendering mortar, joint filler, waterproof mortar, decorative mortar and for precast elements in construction. The research findings also provide new perspective on the utilization of natural cellulose fibers as a sustainable construction material.