Dynamic and static properties of flax fibre reinforced polymer tube confined coir fibre reinforced concrete

Abstract

Flax and coir fibres have the potential to be used as reinforcement in fibre reinforced polymer and concrete, respectively. This study investigates the effect of coir fibre inclusion and flax fibre reinforced polymer thickness on the dynamic and static properties of flax fibre reinforced polymer tube confined coir fibre reinforced concrete. Plain concrete and coir fibre reinforced concrete beams are considered as references. The properties investigated include natural frequencies, dynamic and static modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio, damping ratio, compressive strength, stress–strain behaviour, ductility and confinement effectiveness. Axial compression test revealed that flax fibre reinforced polymer tube confinement significantly increases axial compressive strength and ductility of the confined concrete composite. The increase in compressive strength and structural ductility is directly proportional to an increase in tube thickness. Dynamic test revealed that both coir fibre and flax fibre reinforced polymer tube improve the damping of the structure considerably, thus reducing the effect of dynamic loading on the structural response.