Natural Cellulosic Fiber Reinforced Concrete: Influence of Fiber Type and Loading Percentage on Mechanical and Water Absorption Performance

Abstract

The paper reports experimental research regarding the mechanical characteristics of concrete reinforced with natural cellulosic fibers like jute, sisal, sugarcane, and coconut. Each type of natural fiber, with an average of 30 mm length, was mixed with a concrete matrix in varying proportions of 0.5% to 3% mass. The tensile and compressive strength of the developed concrete samples with cellulosic fiber reinforcement gradually increased with the increasing proportion of natural cellulosic fibers up to 2%. A further increase in fiber loading fraction results in deterioration of the mechanical properties. By using jute and sisal fiber reinforcement, about 11.6% to 20.2% improvement in tensile and compressive strength, respectively, was observed compared to plain concrete, just by adding 2% of fibers in the concrete mix. Bending strength increased for the natural fiber-based concrete with up to 1.5% fiber loading. However, a decrease in bending strength was observed beyond 1.5% loading due to cracks at fiber−concrete interface. The impact performance showed gradual improvement with natural fiber loading of up to 2%. The water absorption capacity of natural cellulosic fiber reinforced concrete decreased substantially; however, it increased with the loading percent of fibers. The natural fiber reinforced concrete can be commercially used for interior or exterior pavements and flooring slabs as a sustainable construction material for the future.

The Effect of Adding Phragmites australis Fibers on the Properties of Concrete

“…This may indicate that the accessible volume of pores is reduced in the presence of fibers as a result of the alleviation of the hydrophilic property of fibers by the alkali treatment, increasing their surface roughness and adhesion in the concrete matrix [57]. The observed decrease in TWA in the tested concrete mixes is fully in line with results reported by Jamshaid et al [58] on water absorption capacity of the natural cellulosic fiber-reinforced concrete mixes with different plant fibers and varying loading ratios of fibers. Findings revealed that mixes with up to 2% fiber loading ratios had a reduced absorption capacity, as compared to plain concrete, enhancing the durability and stability of mixes.…”

Optimal Design of Reinforced Concrete Materials in Construction

“…Then, structural analysis is performed. The required steel reinforcement is then calculated to enhance the mechanical performance of structural elements such as ductility, tensile strength, and creep resistance [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Finally, the ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state requirements provided by design codes are checked [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

A Comprehensive Review of Types, Properties, Treatment Methods and Application of Plant Fibers in Construction and Building Materials

“…In the case of the flexural strength of coconut-fiber-reinforced cementitious composites, most studies have reported increased flexural strength [243][244][245][246]272]. In a similar way, the majority of studies have reported enhancements in the flexural strength of jute- [247,248,251,273,274] (Figure 18d), hemp-[252-254] (Figure 18e), sisal- [4,256,275] (Figure 18f), pineapple- [83,258,260] (Figure 18g), sugarcane-bagasse- [4,263,275] (Figure 18h), and flax- [264][265][266][267] (Figure 18i) fiber-reinforced cementitious composites, compared to control specimens/composites. Overall, it may be concluded that, in comparison to compressive strength, the effect of fiber is more significant with respect to enhancements in the flexural strength of cementitious composites.…”