Title: Characterisation of natural fibres as concrete composites for structural applications

Authors: M. Sivaraja, S. Kandasamy

Addresses: Department of Civil Engineering, Government College of Engineering, Salem, Tamilnadu, India. ' Department of Civil Engineering, Government College of Engineering, Salem, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract: Interest in natural fibres – both as natural and waste materials – for improving structural resistance as reinforcement arose mostly because of their lower cost and better availability. So far the work on concrete and other composites has been mainly concentrated on aero and automobile applications and a very few have been attempted in civil infrastructural activities. Those studies are mostly concentrated on mechanical strength, not on its usage in infrastructural systems. So here in this study, an attempt to reuse locally available waste fibrous natural materials in concrete as fibre composites, is made so that its resistance to cracking and unanticipated loadings like seismic effects is improved particularly in structural systems. In this paper rice husk, coconut coir and sugarcane waste fibres are taken and randomly distributed in reinforced concrete beams. Performance of the composite beams are ascertained under monotonic loading and compared with conventional concrete beams.

Keywords: natural fibres; fibre reinforced concrete; strength; elasticity; energy absorption; structural resistance; waste materials; fibre reinforced composites; cracking; unanticipated loadings; seismic effects; rice husk fibres; coconut coir fibres; sugarcane fibres; reinforced concrete beams.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2009.027844

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2009 Vol.36 No.1/2/3/4, pp.385 - 395

Published online: 12 Aug 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article