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.