Investigation on mechanical properties of fiber reinforced concrete

Abstract

Concrete has high compression strength but low tensile strength. Therefore fibers are added to enhance the tensile strength. South Kalimantan is one of Indonesia’s largest wetlands, and the banana tree is common in this area. After harvesting, they are accumulated or be burned, causing pollution. Utilizing banana tree waste as fiber in the concrete minimizes it. This paper investigated the effect of banana fiber length and percentage of fiber by volume fraction on the compressive of mortar, tensile, and compressive concrete strength. The correlation between the compressive and tensile strength was further established. The percentage of fiber used in this research was 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%, and the length of the fiber was 7cm and 15cm. The results showed that the addition of banana fiber significantly improved the mechanical properties of mortar and concrete. The compressive strength of mortar with a fiber length of 7cm was higher than 15cm. The higher percentage of fiber causes the lower compressive strength of mortar. The compressive strength of fiber-reinforced concrete was 27.9 MPa, and the ordinary concrete was only 17.91 MPa. The tensile strength of fiber-reinforced concrete was 6.96 MPa, while the ordinary concrete was just 1.93 MPa.