Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties of Areca Nut Fibre-Reinforced Self-compacting Concrete

Abstract

Concrete is a brittle material. In order to overcome the brittle nature of concrete, various kinds of fibres which are either organic or inorganic in nature have been introduced into concrete and the class of concrete so produced are known as fibre-reinforced concrete. The mouldability, workability and ease of pumping of the fibre reinforced concrete are poor, and hence these properties are enhanced by adding admixtures and making it self-compactable. The natural fibres such as fibres of coconut, areca nut, jute, etc. can be incorporated into concrete as reinforcements to enhance various mechanical properties. The naturally occurring fibres such as coconut, areca nut, jute, hemp, sisal, etc. have exceptional engineering properties; these can be infused in concrete to enhance the various mechanical properties of hardened concrete. The research paper addresses the effect of varying dosage of areca nut fibres on the fresh and hardened properties of the self-compacting concrete. The experimental results indicate that the concrete mixes with fibre dosage of 1.5 and 2% of total cementitious material exhibited better performance compared to all other mixes. The experimental result also indicated.