Reinforcing mortar with short fibre iron waste

Abstract

The objective of this work was to reinforce mortar with low-cost fibres. Two groups of mortars were prepared, with and without Styrene-butadiene rubbers(SBR), then each group was reinforced with short fibres of iron waste of approximately 1 to 1.5cm in length and 1mm in thickness (aspect ratios of 10 to 15). These fibres were added at different percentages (10, 20, and 30%) by weight of sand. All groups were allowed to cure for 28 days. The results then showed an enhancement in strength for each group based on measurements of compressive and flexural strength. Moreover, several other properties (dry density, porosity, water absorption) were also improved. The lowest dry density, porosity and water absorption results were 2104.4 Kg/m3, 21.25%, and 10.09%, respectively at 10% iron waste fibres with SBR, while the best results for compressive strength and flexural strength were 33.75 MPa and 7.6969 MPa at 20% and 30% iron waste fibres with SBR, respectively. It can thus be concluded that short fibres of iron waste can partially replace fine aggregate in terms of reinforcing and improving the properties of mortar.