Enhanced Performance of Concrete Dispersedly Reinforced with Sisal Fibers

Abstract

The fibers used in concrete are mainly materials that require additional production, which negatively affects their cost and environmental friendliness. Therefore, the issue of the effectiveness of the use of natural fibers, the extraction of which does not require mechanized production, becomes relevant. One of these materials is sisal fiber. The main purpose of this work was to study the effect of adding sisal fibers on the structure and properties of environmentally friendly concretes with improved characteristics. The tests were carried out in strict accordance with technological recommendations and normative and technical documents. Laboratory samples were made in the form of cubes and prisms of concrete with a compressive strength of 48 MPa and sisal fiber content of 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0%, 1.25% and 1.5%. The tests were carried out at a concrete age of 15 days. The compressive strength and tensile strength of concrete samples were studied using the method of optical microscopy. The optimal content of fiber reinforcement with sisal fiber was determined as equal to 1%. The increases in the strength characteristics of the obtained fiber-reinforced concrete samples at the optimal dosage of sisal fiber in an amount of 1% by weight of cement were 22% for compressive strength, 27% for axial compressive strength, 33% for tensile strength in bending and 29% for axial strength stretching. The increases in deformation characteristics were 25% for strains in axial compression, 42% for strains in axial tension and 15% for the elastic modulus.