Normal-Weight Concrete with Improved Stress–Strain Characteristics Reinforced with Dispersed Coconut Fibers

Abstract

According to the sustainable development concept, it is necessary to solve the issue of replacing fiber from synthetic materials with natural, environmentally friendly, and cheap-to-manufacture renewable resources and agricultural waste. Concrete is the primary material for which fibers are intended. Therefore, the use of vegetable waste in concrete is an essential and urgent task. Coconut fiber has attracted attention in this matter, which is a by-product of the processing of coconuts and makes it relevant. This work aims to investigate the experimental base for the strength properties of dispersed fiber-reinforced concrete with coconut fibers, as well as the influence of the fiber percentage on the mechanical, physical, and deformation characteristics. The samples were made of concrete with a compressive strength at 28 days from 40 to 50 MPa. The main mechanical characteristics such as strength in compression (cubic and prismatic) and tension (axial and bending), as well as the material’s compressive and tensile strains, were investigated. The percentage of reinforcement with coconut fibers was taken in the range of 0% to 2.5% with an increment of 0.25 wt.%. Tests were carried out 28 days after the manufacture. The microstructure of the resulting compositions was investigating using the electron microscopy method. The most rational percentage of coconut fibers was obtained at 1.75%. The increase in mechanical indicators was 24% and 26% for compression and axial compression, respectively, and 42% and 43% for tensile bending and axial tension, respectively. The ultimate strains in compression were raised by 46% and in tension by 51%. The elastic modulus was increased by 16%.

Process Development of Fibre-Cement Flat Sheets by Young and Mature Coconut Fibres Replaced Asbestos for Eco-Friendly Products

“…Most researchers explored natural bers with lengths ranging from 10 to 60 mm in research and development of ber cement products largely focused on mechanical characteristics (Kriker et al 2005). Shcherban' et al (Shcherban' et al 2022) studied the improvement of mechanical characteristics in normal weight concrete by varying the proportion of coconut ber from 0-2.5% with an increment of 0.25 wt.%. The obtained results revealed that the most appropriate proportion of coconut bers was found to be 1.75% with compressive strength of 40-50 MPa and axial tensile strength of 3-4.3 MPa.…”

Effect of Walnut-Shell Additive on the Structure and Characteristics of Concrete

“…The study presented in this article develops the ideas of the concept of sustainable environmentally friendly concrete, which implies the partial and complete replacement of the mineral components of concrete with natural and rapidly renewable analogues. Replacing large-mineral aggregate with walnut shells will partially eliminate complex mechanized and energy-intensive production processes associated with high greenhouse-gas emissions [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. At the same time, it is important to find a balance between the strength and density of the resulting composite, so that a decrease in the SC of the material is accompanied by a commensurate decrease in the density of the material.…”

Experimental and Analytical Investigation of Flexural Behavior of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Textile Based Composites

“…A composite material is a system of materials made up of a matrix and reinforcing fillers. These two components work together to produce unique features neither could have on their own [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In polymer matrix composites, fibers with fine diameters (carbon, glass, boron, aramid, Kevlar, and light carbon-based fibers) are used as the matrix and polymer (e.g., epoxy, polyester, urethane) as the binding agent.…”