Influence of Multi-walled carbon nanotubes on mechanical properties of cement concrete

Abstract

Abstract The mechanical characteristic of cement concrete with incorporation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) has been investigated in this paper. Disparate concrete mixes were prepared incorporating CNT-to-cement weight fractions of 0.075, 0.1, 0.125 wt.% in traditional concrete. The flexural and compressive strength were determined after 7 and 28 days of curing. The results of the experimental work showed the maximum increase in the strength was almost 1.5times than the conventional concrete which is believed to occur due to effective dispersion and nano-scale particle size. This was obtained in mix containing 0.075 wt.% of CNTs, making it the optimum content for improving strength parameters. Moreover, the post cracking strength of concrete after CNTs addition was found to be more than the conventional concrete with the reduction in the abrasion of the concrete.