Experimental investigation on the mechanical behavior of concrete reinforced with Alfa fibers
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Date
2022-04-01
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Abstract
Currently, the reinforcement of ordinary concrete with synthetic
fibers poses ecological problems because the manufacturing process of these
products is very polluting. Plant fiber composites are a new challenge for
environmental protection. The present article aims to investigate the
mechanical behavior of concrete reinforced with natural fibers, called alfa
fibers. Compression and three-point bending tests have been performed on
cubic and prismatic samples, respectively. Different fiber lengths (2.5, 5, and
8 cm) and content (0.6, 1.2, and 1.8 % by volume) of alfa fibers have been
used to examine their influence on the mechanical behavior of the fiberreinforced concrete. The obtained results show that for a volume content of
1.2 % of plant fibers of 5 cm length, the tensile strength of the reinforced
concrete increases up to 54.41 % compared to the ordinary concrete (BT).
However, for a content of 1.8 % of fibers with 8 cm length, both the
compressive and tensile strength of the reinforced concrete decrease slightly.
At this level, an excess of both fiber content and their length produces the
formation of voids within concrete. Moreover, such an excess made the
hydration reaction slower. It is worth noticing that the orientation of fibers
also plays a significant role in the nucleation and propagation of
microcracks. The fibers arranged both horizontally and obliquely are more
resistant to microcracking than those oriented in the loading direction.