FEM evaluation of reinforced concrete beams by hybrid and banana fiber bars (BFB)

Abstract

This research study highlights composite materials that consist of two parts—a matrix and fiber—and that have become commonly used in building materials. There are two types of fiber: synthetic fibers, such as carbon, glass, aluminum, aluminum oxide, boron, etc., and natural fibers, such as banana, jute, coir, silk, bamboo, coconut, etc. While synthetic fibers are the most common and are used despite their high cost, this study researches banana fibers, which are generally made from plant wastes and are therefore less costly. This study is based on the identification of banana fibers and their impact on the flexure behavior of concrete. The experiment tested ten models of concrete beams with various parameters using an experimental program and a finite element analysis (ANSYS) to study (1) the performance of banana fiber bars in reinforced beams, (2) the influence of hybrid fibers that contain banana and glass fiber, and (3) the effect of banana fiber bars on beams compared to traditional steel bars. The results demonstrate that using banana fibers has a significant effect in reducing cracking in concrete beams. From this research, it is clear that natural fibers increase flexure strength, which contributes to reduced depth of concrete sections and develops an innovative technique of reinforcement.