Effects of Hemp Fibers on Durability and Strength Properties of Concrete to be Used In Agricultural Buildings

Abstract

Concrete is the most common construction material used worldwide. It is also commonly used in construction of agricultural buildings. With the rapid developments in technology, different building materials with superior properties are being researched in order to improve different properties of concrete and eliminate its disadvantaged aspects and to obtain lighter, insulated, more economical and useful construction materials. One of the applications to improve the negative properties of concrete with low tensile strength is to add various fibers into the concrete mixtures. Hemp stalks play an important role in recycling vegetable wastes. Therefore, it is highly significant to recycle or transform these materials. In this study, hemp fibers were supplemented into concrete mixtures in different ratios (1, 2.5 and 5%). Slump and unit weight tests were conducted on fresh samples and compressive strength, tensile strength, water absorption, freeze-thaw resistance, thermal conductivity and ultrasound pulse velocity tests were conducted on 28-day cured cube specimens. Compressive strength, specific gravity, ultrasound pulse velocity and thermal conductivity coefficients decreased, but tensile strengths and water absorption ratios increased with increasing hemp fiber ratios. Hemp fiber supplementation into concrete mixtures yielded a material with higher tensile strength, lower thermal conductivity and suitable for cold climate conditions