IRJET-Experimental Investigation of Natural Fiber Reinforced Concrete in Construction Industry

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056
Volume: 02 Issue: 01 | Apr-2015 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2015, IRJET.NET- All Rights Reserved Page 179
Experimental Investigation of Natural Fiber Reinforced Concrete in
Construction Industry
Balasubramanian1, J.Chandrashekaran2, Dr.S.Senthil Selvan3
1 Assistant professor(OG), Department of civil engineering, SRM university, Tamil Nadu, India
2 PG Student, Department of civil engineering, SRM university, Tamil Nadu, India
3Professor, Department of civil engineering, SRM university, Tamil Nadu, India
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Abstract - Concrete made with Portland cement has
certain characteristics: it is relatively strong in
compression but weak in tension and tends to be
breakable. The deficiency in tension can be defeated by
the use of conventional rod reinforcement and to some
extent by the inclusion of a sufficient volume of certain
fibers. Change in the performance of the fiber-matrix
composite after it has cracked, is due to The addition of
fibers, thereby improving its toughness. On account of
its low density, less cost, increased specific strength
and modulus, zero health risk, sisal fiber is a promising
reinforcement for use in composites and it is easy
procured in some countries. There has been an
increasing interest in finding new applications for sisal-
fiber-reinforced composites that are traditionally used
for making ropes, mats, carpets, fancy articles and
others..The purpose of this research is based on the
investigation of the use of sisal fibers in structural
concrete to enhance the mechanical characteristics of
concrete. To find and compare the differences in
properties of concrete containing no fibers and special
concrete with fibers, as well as the correlation on the
effects of different type and geometry of fibers to the
concrete is the aim of the study. This scrutiny was
carried out using several tests, which contained
workability test, compressive test, split tensile test,
flexural test. A total of ten mix batches of concrete
containing 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% dosage of fiber were cast.
With the best results from the mix, torsion beam
elements are cast and torsion testing is to be done.
Key Words: Fiber, workability, torsion.
1. INTRODUCTION
Fiber is a natural or synthetic string. It is also used as a
component of concrete, or when made into sheets. it is
used to make products such as paper or felt. Fibers are
often used in the manufacture of other materials. The
strongest engineering materials often incorporate fibers.
Fibers are a class of hair-like material that are continuous
filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to
pieces of thread. Concrete made with Portland cement has
certain characteristics: it is relatively strong in
compression but weak in tension and tends to be brittle.
The weakness in tension can be overcome by the use of
conventional rod reinforcement and to some extent by the
inclusion of a sufficient volume of certain fibers. The use of
fibers also alters the behavior of the fiber-matrix
composite after it has cracked, thereby improving its
toughness.
Since the advent of fiber reinforcing of concrete in the
1940`s, a great deal of testing has been conducted on the
various fibrous materials to determine the
characteristics and advantages for each product. Fibers
produced by plants (vegetable, leaves and wood), animals
and geological processes are known as natural fibers.
Natural fibers possess the advantages like easy
availability, light weight, renewability of raw materials,
low cost, high specific strength and stiffness.
Natural fibers are cheap and locally available in many
countries. Fibers are thread like materials which can be
used for different purposes. The use of natural fibers
reduces weight by 10% and lowers the energy needed for
production by 80%, while the cost of the component is 5%
lower than the comparable fiber glass-reinforced
component.
1.1 Sisal fiber
Agave sisalana Perrine (Agavaceae), popularly known as
sisal in is a monocotyledonous plant from Mexico. Sisal
derives its name from a small port in the Yucatan
peninsula of Mexico through which the earliest supplies of
Agave fibers were exported and it became known to
commerce as Sisal or ‘sisal hemp’. The plants look like
giant pineapples, and during harvest the leaves are cut as
close to the ground as possible. Sisal represents the first
natural fiber in commercial application, in which it is
estimated in more than half of the total of all natural fibers
used. The Sisal plant is a monocotyledonous, whose roots
are fibrous, emerging from the base of pseudo stem.
Sisal can be cultivated in most soil types except clay and
has low tolerance to very moist and saline soil conditions.
Husbandry is relatively simple as it is resilient to disease
and its input requirement is low compared to other crops.
These are mainly cultivated for fibers which are highly
suited for ropes of all kinds Sisal fibers are extracted from

an agave plant. Sisal fibers are stiff, straight, smooth and
yellow in color. Strength, durability and ability to stretch
are some of the important properties of sisal fibers. Sisal
fiber is one of the most widely used natural fibers and it
can be easily harvested. Sisal plant produces over 200-250
leaves during its life time of 7 to 8 years and each leaf
contains 1000-1200 fiber bundles.
Fig -1 sisal fiber plant
The size of sisal fibers vary between 60 -100 mm in width
and 500 - 2500 mm in length, depending on species,
climate and soil in the plantation. The diameter of the fiber
is about 100 to 300 µm. According to producer's
classification, sisal fibers are divided into three categories
depending on their length as:
 Short fibers with length 3 600mm;
 Medium sized fibers with length in the range 600 -
700mm;
 Long - sized fibers with length in the range
greater than 700mm. The fiber diameter is
generally reported to be less than 0.2m.
Sisal leaf contains three types of fibers. They are
mechanical, ribbon and xylem fibers. Mechanical fibers
have a roughly thickened horseshoe shape and hardly
divide during extraction process. It is present in the
periphery of the leaf. Ribbon fiber occurs in association
with the conduction. Xylem fibers have an irregular shape
and occur opposite to ribbon fibers through the
connection o vascular bundles.
Table 1: Chemical composition of sisal fiber
CHEMICALS PERCENTAGE
Cellulose 71.5%
Hemicelluloses 18.1%
Lignin 5.1%
Pectin 2.3%
Waxes 0.5%
Total 100%
Generally, the strength and stiffness of plant fibers depend
on the cellulose content and the spiral angle which the
bands of micro fibrils in the inner secondary cell wall
make with the fiber axis.
Fiber can be extracted in two methods, the retting process
and the mechanical process. The fiber yield in retting
process is about 5.5% and in the mechanical process is
about 3-4% based on the weight of green leaves. Hand
extraction machine is used to extract the fibers through
serrated or non-serrated knives. The fiber extracted is
dried under the sun till it turns into white color and then it
is made ready for knotting. Water is used to wash away
the waste parts of the leaf. The fiber is then dried, brushed
and baled for export. Proper drying is important as fiber
quality depends largely on moisture content. Artificial
drying has been found to result in generally better grades
of fiber than sun drying, Fiber is separated to various sizes
and knotting is done on the other side to form long
continuous strands. It is mainly used for mats, carpets and
many other reinforcement materials.
Fig -2 Hand Extraction
2. METHODOLOGY
Concept of using sisal fiber in concrete was conceived.
Based on the concept, various journals where referred and
an idea about the natural fiber known as the sisal fiber
being used in concrete was obtained. The knowledge on
fiber reinforced concrete was also obtained by referring
various journals. Literature review was done and the
concept was finalized
Various tests on Cement, fine aggregate and
coarse aggregates were carried out and the results were
obtained. In order to do find the merit or demerit of any
special concrete, it has to be compared with conventional
concrete. Therefore, a set of conventional concrete
specimen is required. In order to cast a set of conventional
concrete, initially the mix design for M40 grade of concrete
has to be done. Tests on fresh concrete were carried out.
Workability was checked by carrying out slump test. The
water cement ratio and the percentage of super plasticizer
to be added was also determined based on three different
designs of trail mix. The mix with optimum results were
considered for casting conventional concrete.
The same mix ratio which was used to cast
conventional concrete specimen, was used to cast special

concrete specimens. Special concrete specimens are fiber
reinforced specimens. Four different aspect ratios are
considered. Fiber was cut for each aspect ratio. For each
aspect ratio, four different percentage of amount of fiber
were added to concrete mix. Special concrete specimens
consist of cubes, cylinders and beams. OPC grade 53
cement was used in casting. The coarse aggregate added to
the mix was divided into two portions. 60% of 20mm
aggregate and 40% of 12.5mm aggregate was used. 16
mixes of special concrete specimens were cast and cured.
3rd , 7th and 28th day testing were carried out to find the
compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural
strength for the special concrete. With the results
obtained, the optimum result was found. With the
optimum result, the aspect ratio and the percentage which
gives us the optimum result is found. With this aspect ratio
and percentage, the research to carried forward by
conducting torsion and durability tests.
3.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Fig -3 compressive strength test
Compressive strength tests were carried out on a CTM on
both conventional concrete and special concrete .
Fig -4 Split tensile strength test
Split tensile strength test were carried out on Cylinders of
diameter 100 mm and height 200 mm.
Fig -5 Flexural strength test
Flexural strength test were carried out on flexure beam
specimen of size 500 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm.
Chart -1: Compressive strength 28th day results
Compressive strength test results of cubes after 28 days
curing.
Chart -2: Split tensile strength 28th day results
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 1 2 3
CompressiveStrength
Percentage
100
200
300
400
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
0 1 2 3
TensileStrength
Percentage
100
200
300
400

Chart 3: Flexural strength 28th day results
3. CONCLUSION
Concrete made with Portland cement has certain
characteristics; it is relatively strong in compression but
weak in tension and tends to be brittle. The weakness in
tension can be overcome by the use of conventional rod
reinforcement and to some extent by the inclusion of a
sufficient volume of certain fibers. The use of fibers also
alters the behavior of the fiber-matrix composite after it
has cracked, thereby improving its toughness.
By adding this sisal fiber it has been found that there is an
increase in properties of both fresh and hardened
concrete.
 Addition of fibers of aspect ratio 300 by dosage of
1.5% shows an increase in compressive strength
as compared to conventional concrete.
0.5% shows an increase in split tensile strength as
compared to conventional concrete.
1% shows an increase in flexural strength as
compared to conventional concrete.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost I thank the Almighty, who has given me
the strength to complete this task. Thereafter I would like
to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the
generosity of the following people who contributed to the
success of this study.
 My guide, Mr.M.Balasubramanian for his
continuous professional guidance in keeping me
focused on the research topic, for his on-going
support and motivation throughout the study.
 I thank my parents, family members and friends
for their support and encouragement.
REFERENCES
1) Girisha.C, Sanjeevamurthy, Gunti Rangasrinivas et. Al,.:
“Tensile properties of natural fiber reinforced epoxy
hybrid composites”,
2) Cesar Juarez, Alejandro Duran, Pedro Valdez, Gerardo
Fajardo.: “Performance of Natural fibers in cement
composites”.
3) Avtar singh saroya: “Study of Mechanical Properties
of Hybrid natural Fiber Composite”.
4) Romildo Dias Tolêdo Filho, Kuruvilla Joseph et. Al.,:
“The use of sisal fibre as reinforcement in cement
based composites”.
5) Yan Li, , Chunjing Hu, Yehong Yu et al.: “Interfacial
studies of sisal fiber reinforced high density
polyethylene (HDPE) composites”.
6) A. K. Bledzki, S. Reihmane and Gassan: “Properties and
modification methods for vegetable fibers for natural
fiber composites”
7) Faisal Fouad Wafa “Properties and applications of
Fiber Reinforced concrete”.
BIOGRAPHIES
M.Balasubramanian,
Assistant professor(OG),
Department of civil engineering,
SRM university, Tamil Nadu, India
J.Chandrashekaran
PG Student, Construction
engineering management,
Department of civil engineering,
SRM university, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr.S.Senthil Selvan
Professor, Department of Civil
Engineering - Steel Concrete
Composite Structures SRM
university, Tamil Nadu, India
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0 1 2 3
FlexuralStrength
Percentage
100
200
300
400

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