Abstract
This experimental study aimed at investigating the impact of addition of banana fibres on the mechanical (compression, splitting tension, and flexure) and microstructural (microscopic morphology and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) properties of concrete. Concrete mixes comprising of banana fibres of varying fibre lengths (40, 50, and 60 mm) and fibre contents (0.1, 0.2, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.5%) were assessed. Addition of banana fibres to concrete was observed to significantly impact on compressive strength only at lower fibre contents of up to 0.25% for all fibre lengths. Fibre length had no significant impact on compressive strength at lower fibre contents of up to 0.25%, but shorter fibres were observed to perform better than longer ones at higher dosages more than 0.25%. Increase in fibre content positively impacted on tensile strength of concrete at relatively lower fibre dosages of up to 1%. Similarly, fibre length impacted on tensile strength of concrete at lower fibre contents of up to 1% and, longer fibres were observed to be more effective than shorter ones. Addition of banana fibres generally did not greatly contribute to flexural strength of concrete but had a marginal impact only when shorter fibres were used at lower fibre dosages. Also, microstructure of concrete was improved through better bonding between the fibres and the matrix and reduction in porosity of the matrix, which resulted in improved mechanical properties of the composite. Banana fibres further contributed to changes in phases of the composite structure of Banana fibre-reinforced concrete (BFRC) through a reduction in its interplanar spacing and lattice structure. For optimal purposes, addition of banana fibres should be limited to a maximum of 1% fibre content preferably using shorter fibre lengths. Further research to improve flexural strength of BFRC to meet minimum technical requirements is required before it can be considered for structural applications.
Highlights
Concrete is one of the most widely used material in the construction industry because it offers good strength and durability properties, and its primary constituents are readily available and cheap [1,2,3]
Natural fibres are readily available, biodegradable, cheaper, and recyclable, and they have been observed to have high tensile and flexural strengths as well as low elongation at break, rendering them widely accepted in construction industry [21,22,23,24]
A Universal Testing Machine (UTM) with a 3000 kN maximum capacity was used at the loading rate of 0.6 MPa/s for compressive strength and 0.7 to 1.4 MPa/min for splitting tensile strength with the test setups as shown in Figures 4 and 5, respectively
Summary
Concrete is one of the most widely used material in the construction industry because it offers good strength and durability properties, and its primary constituents are readily available and cheap [1,2,3]. Limited studies have been conducted on utilization of some natural fibres, such as banana, sisal, hemp, coconut, and jute fibres, among others as reinforcing materials in concrete [19, 20]. Studies conducted on Banana fibres have indicated that they possess good performance properties, are environment friendly, are less expensive, and are readily available, and it can be utilized to improve mechanical properties of concrete [9, 10, 14, 20, 32,33,34,35]. Findings of the study will provide a better understanding of the properties of banana fibres as well as the impact of varying fibre lengths and contents on the mechanical and microstructural properties of concrete
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