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Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823 www.materialstoday.com/proceedings

IConAMMA_2017

Enhancement of properties of concrete using natural fibers

N Kaarthik Krishna1, M Prasanth1, R Gowtham1, S Karthic1, K M Mini2*
1
Under graduate student, 2Professor & Chairperson
Department of Civil Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita University, Coimbatore, 641112, India

Abstract

The need for standard construction materials is increasing each day due to the pressure faced by construction sectors for achieving
an enhanced growth and sustainable development in construction. These have made the developers go for different materials that
can be used as an alternate material in construction. In the present work, natural fibers namely coir and sisal fiber are chosen to
improve the properties of the concrete. Plain concrete properties are used as a reference to evaluate the effectiveness of this
natural fiber reinforced concrete. The objective of this project is to determine the optimum level of coir fiber content for effective
enhancement in ductile properties of concrete and on the usage of sisal fiber in increasing the strength properties of concrete.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Advances in Materials and Manufacturing Applications
[IConAMMA 2017].

Keywords: Natural fibers; strength; ductility

* Corresponding author. Tel.:+919486901764

E-mail address: k_mini@cb.amrita.edu

2214-7853 © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Advances in Materials and Manufacturing Applications
[IConAMMA 2017].
 Kaarthik Krishna N et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823 23817

1. Introduction

The growing problem on resource reduction and global pollution has challenged many researchers to look for new
materials depending on renewable resources. The high cost of conventional building materials is a major factor
affecting construction. Keeping the visual demands intact, an acceptable solution derived is the inclusion of fibers in
concrete. For this aspect, the development of natural fiber composites is based on the strategy of preventing the
demolition of forest resources as well as producing good economic returns for the cultivation of these fibers. The
introduction of fibers is a result to develop concrete with enhanced flexural and tensile strength. Fibers are mostly
discontinuous and are randomly distributed throughout the cement matrices. The present paper focuses on the
inclusion of natural fibers namely coir fiber and sisal fiber in concrete. The objective is to increase the performance
and enhancement of concrete which is mainly focused on ductility parameter by using coir and sisal fiber. Coir fiber
will be added with the concrete within the permissible limits to attain better ductile properties whereas the sisal fiber
is wrapped along with the concrete specimen with optimum coir fiber percentage to further improve the strength
properties of the specimen by the confinement action. Most of the studies have been done to check the performance
of coir and sisal fibers in concrete.
Jaspal Singh et.al [1] discussed about the benefits of using the natural fiber in the concrete because of their low
density, low cost and bio-degradability and the improvement in ductility, flexural, tensile strength and fracture
toughness was due to the blending of coir fiber. Majid Ali [2] discussed about the adaptability of coconut fiber
reinforced composites in various engineering applications thereby showing the usage of coconut fiber as a
construction material by emphasizing on ductility and its energy absorbing capacity. Dhandhania et.al [3] discussed
about the natural materials like coir fibers that can be used as reinforcement for concrete along with steel for roofing
as it provides enhanced strength and natural cooling due to the absence of thermal conductivity. Parbhane et.al [4]
described about the increase in tensile strength of concrete upto 5% of coir fiber addition after which there was a
reduction due to the increase in number of voids. Kshitija Nadgouda [5] discussed about the optimal level of
replacement of coconut fiber instead of cement which was about 3% and the increase in flexural strength due to the
addition of it was found to 12%. Othuman Mydin et.al [6] described about the effectiveness of coconut fiber (CF) in
lightweight foamed concrete to enrich the mechanical properties like compressive strength, split tensile strength and
flexural strength with the addition of 0.4% coir fiber being able to produce higher strengths because of the small size
and number of pores that increase the bonding in the cement paste. Reis [7] investigated the mechanical
characterization of epoxy polymer concrete reinforced with natural fibers in his work to analyze the possibility of
substitution by synthetic fibers. The results showed that coconut fiber reinforcement displayed a slight increase in the
flexural properties of epoxy polymer concrete when compared to unreinforced concrete and concrete reinforced with
synthetic fibers like glass and carbon. Wang et.al [8] discussed about the improved impact resistance of the coconut
fiber reinforced concrete by loading it with an impact load and compared the impact energy absorption capacity of
this concrete with the normal concrete by showing the distribution of cracks. Majid Ali [9] discussed about the use of
coconut fiber reinforced concrete for a novel shaped interlocking blocks that can be used in earthquake prone areas
because of their highest toughness amongst natural fibers. Majid Ali et.al [10] described about the effect of bond
strength between coconut fiber and concrete and it was found that the thick boiled fibers of 30 mm length produced
good bonding with the concrete with aspect ratio of 125. Majid Ali et.al [11] discussed about the properties of
coconut fiber reinforced concrete and it was concluded that the properties varied depending on fiber length and
content, and CFRC strengths can be higher or lower when compared to plain concrete. The testing also confirmed
that coconut fibers in concrete can improve its flexural toughness. Mahyuddin Ramli et.al [12] described about the
strength and durability of coconut fiber reinforced concrete in various environments in which the improvements were
found in compressive strength and flexural strength. The durability aspects with respect to chloride penetration,
permeability and carbonation depth also increased due to the addition of fiber. Olonade et.al [13] discussed about the
reinforcement of coir fiber to enhance the properties of CFRC beam by considering the parameters like compressive
strength, flexural strength and also the crack pattern was monitored. Flexural cracks reduced with increase in
quantity of coconut fiber and coconut fiber played a key role to limit the formation and propagation of flexural
cracks. The test on concrete with different volume fraction of insertion of coconut fiber by weight of the cement and
the optimum level to increase the properties like flexural strength, tensile strength, compressive strength was
discussed by Rajan Shikha et.al [14], Mahapara Abbas [15] and it was found to be a maximum of 3%. Bhupendra
Kumar et.al [16] investigated the effect on concrete by adding fly ash and coconut coir fiber together to enhance the
workability and compressive strength of the concrete and improvements in the performance of concrete was seen
when 10% and 20% replacement of cement was done by adding fly ash and addition of 1.5%, 2% of coconut fiber by
weight of cement. The enhancement of resistance to cracking and spalling of concrete
23818 Kaarthik Krishna N et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823

by using CFRC was discussed by Anoopsingh Chandel et.al [17], Yalley et.al [18] and the improvement in concrete
properties like torsion, toughness and tensile strength was found and increase in ductility was seen for the optimum
fiber content of 0.5% with corresponding fiber aspect ratio of 125 was seen. Amit Rai et.al [19] described about the
addition of fibers that helps in increasing the ductility of concrete and its post-cracking load-carrying capacity. It was
also found that the most important contribution of fiber reinforcement in concrete for the flexural toughness of the
material. Improvements in the axial load-carrying capacity and deformation capacities of sisal fiber reinforced
polymer jacketed concrete members over unjacketed members was discussed by Pessiki et.al [20]. A novel technique
for retrofitting of concrete structures using hybrid sisal-glass fiber reinforced polymer was discussed by Akhila et.al
[21], where they observed that three layer wrapping of concrete with sisal fiber improved the strength property.

2. Experimental programme

The present work focuses on bringing out the contribution of coir fiber and sisal fiber to improve the ductility and
strength properties of concrete. It was proposed to determine the optimum percentage of coir fiber necessary for
effective enhancement in properties. The study also addressed on improving the strength of the ductile concrete by
wrapping it with sisal fabric in different layers.

2.1 Materials Used

For concrete preparation, Ordinary Portland Cement of grade 53 was used. River sand, locally available and
confirming to Zone II specification with respect to IS 383-1970 [22] was taken as fine aggregate and crushed stones
of 20 mm nominal size were taken as coarse aggregate.
Coir fibers were loosened and put in hot water for about 60 minutes to soften the coir and remove the raw dust
after which they were dried under the hot sun and open air till they lost the moisture content. Fibers were then
straightened and cut to a required length of 3.2 cm approximately. The aspect ratio was fixed to be 125 (i.e., length
to diameter ratio) and the diameter of the coir was found to be 0.025 cm.
Various physical properties of Cement, Coarse aggregate and Fine aggregate were found and are shown in
Table 1.

Table 1. Physical Properties of cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate

Property Cement Fine aggregate Coarse aggregate

Specific Gravity 2.98 2.61 2.68

Water Absorption - 3.7% 0.5%

Initial Setting time
30 min - -

Final Setting time 600 min - -

2.2 Concrete mixtures

For the present experimental work, a number of specimens with different percentages of coir fiber were prepared
and different testing procedure was handled. The specimens were cast for each mixes including control mix.
Eighteen concrete cubes of size 100mm, ten concrete beams of size (50cm * 10cm * 10cm) and four concrete
cylinders of 100mm diameter and 200mm height were cast and cured for 28 days. M30 grade of concrete was
designed by using I.S 10262-2009 [23] as reference. The mix ratio by weight of cement: fine aggregate: coarse
aggregate was found to be 1:1.44:2.51. Water cement ratio of 0.43 was selected for investigation. Table 2 represents
the mix proportions of concrete for varying coir addition in percentage by weight of cement. The control concrete
without coir was also fabricated along with above mixes.
 Kaarthik Krishna N et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823 23819

Table 2. Mix proportions of concrete for varying coir percentage additions

Addition Coarse Fine
Cement in Coir in Water in
percentage aggregate aggregate
kg/m3 kg/m3 kg/m3
of coir in kg/m3 in kg/m3
0% 443.72 - 1114.34 637.36 190.8
0.5% 443.72 2.22 1114.34 637.36 190.8
1% 443.72 4.44 1114.34 637.36 190.8
1.5% 443.72 6.66 1114.34 637.36 190.8
2% 443.72 8.88 1114.34 637.36 190.8

2.3 Testing of specimens

Various experiments to find the fresh state and hardened properties of concrete at varying percentages of coir
fiber addition were conducted in the present investigation. The coir percentages correspond to 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and
2% by weight of cement. Fresh state properties of the mixture were assessed by conducting workability tests namely
Slump test and Compaction factor test using IS: 1199-1959 [24] as reference. Hardened properties like compressive
strength were carried out to assess the strength parameters related to varying percentages of coir addition. The
compressive strength test was performed on standard cubes of size 100 mm using 2000 kN Compression Testing
machine in reference with IS: 516 -1959 [25]. The compressive strength was then found for 7 and 28 days
respectively. The deflection test was performed on beams of size 100×100×500mm after 28 days curing. The test
was done in accordance with IS: 516-1959 [25] using 400 kN Universal Testing Machine by three-point loading. The
axial compression test was performed on sisal fabric wrapped concrete cylinder with optimum coir percentage and
the axial load-carrying capacity was determined. Three specimens were used for carrying out every test and average
of three results was reported.

3. Results and discussion

3.1 Fresh concrete properties

Workability of concrete assesses the behaviour of fresh concrete from mixing upto compaction. The terms
mixability, transportability, mouldability and compactability collectively represent workability. Various tests were
performed to measure workability of concrete and their results were studied in terms of Slump (mm) and compaction
factor. The slump obtained for the design mix was 100 mm and the compaction factor was found to be 0.95 which
indicated that the mix was highly workable.

3.2 Compressive strength

The compressive strength of cubes was found using Uni-axial Compression Testing Machine. The improvement
of compressive strength from a period of 7 days to 28 days for mixes with varying percentages of coir is presented in
Fig 1. The percentage increase in compressive strength from control specimen to specimens with varying
percentages of coir is reported in Table 3. The table indicates that the 28 days strength increases from 47.5 MPa to
51 MPa with incorporation of 1.5% coir fiber. As the bonding within concrete matrix was almost the same as the
plain concrete, workability, porosity and compaction remained unaffected which lead to 7.36% enhancement of
compressive strength of concrete with coir fiber that makes the coir fiber to withstand more loads when the concrete
matrix failed first. However, for 2%, there was a reduction in compressive strength after 28 days of curing due to the
increased number of voids created by coir fiber addition which was more than the optimum limit as it lead to non-
uniform bonding within the matrix.
23820 Kaarthik Krishna N et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823

Figure 1. Compressive strength of concrete for varying percentage of coir additions

Table 3. Compressive strength percentage variation with respect to 0% coir

Compressive strength for

Percentage change from
% of coir 28 days curing period in
0% coir
N/ mm2

0 37.5 -

0.5 35 -6.66

1 47.5 35.71

1.5 51 7.36

2 41.75 -18.13

3.3 Deflection of beams

The ductility of the beams can be assessed with respect to deflection of the beams during loading which was
found by three-point loading testing method using Universal Testing Machine. The results are converted into
graphical representation to determine the optimum percentage of coir fiber addition in concrete mix for better results.
The graph below indicates the variation of deflection beams as shown in Fig 2. From the above graph, it can be
inferred that 1.5% of coir addition in concrete beam showed maximum deflection because of the nature of the coir to
resist cracking which delays the failure of beams leading to the increase in ductile behavior of the specimen.
 Kaarthik Krishna N et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823 23821

Figure 2. Deflection of beams

3.4 Sisal fiber wrapping on cylindrical specimens

From the study conducted using coir fiber addition in concrete and based on the results reported it is
found that 1.5% coir addition gives better strength and ductility. Hence the optimum percentage for which
cylindrical specimens were casted is 1.5% of coir addition and it was wrapped with sisal fiber for
determining the load-carrying capacity of the cylinders. Sisal fibers were cut to required dimensions to wrap
along the circumference of the cylinder. For the preparation of the composite, epoxy resin araldite and
hardener were mixed in equal amounts for creating an adhesion between the concrete and sisal fiber. Using
the composite, sisal fibers were wrapped around the cylinders in three layers. The axial load-carrying
capacity is shown in the table 4.
Table 4. Axial load-carrying capacity variations for different specimens
Specimen type Axial load-carrying capacity in kN

Plain concrete 255

Concrete with 1.5% coir addition 285

Concrete with 1.5% coir addition

wrapped with sisal fiber 365

The enhancement in load-carrying capacity can be attributed to the increase in confining pressure due to
the wrapping of concrete with sisal. The confining action offered by three layers is the highest when
compared to other specimens. The addition of number of layers of sisal fiber wrapping resulted in improving
axial load carrying capacity by 43.14% when compared to that of plain concrete.
23822 Kaarthik Krishna N et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823

4. Conclusions

The present work explores the usage of coir and sisal fiber as an additional material in concrete to
improve its strength, ductility and load carrying capacity. Various experiments have been performed and the
results for compressive strength, deflection and axial load carrying capacity are reported. Coir fiber delays
and controls the tensile cracking of composite materials and it also enhances the ductility and energy
absorption capacity. From the present work, it can be seen that the increase in ductility and strength of
concrete was achieved for the addition of coir of 1.5% the weight of cement which was found to be the
optimum percentage. The improvement in load-carrying capacity of concrete cylinder can be seen when it
was wrapped by sisal fiber using optimum percentage of coir. The enhancement in the ductility can be
considered as a significant criterion for seismic resistant design of structures to avoid catastrophic failure.
Thus the addition of coir in concrete confinement can enhance the seismic resistance of structures in
earthquake prone areas.

5. References

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 Kaarthik Krishna N et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 23816–23823 23823

[22] Indian Standard 383 (1970) Specification for coarse and fine aggregates from natural sources for concrete.
[23] Indian Standard 10262 (2009) Concrete mix proportioning – guidelines
[24] Indian Standard 1199 (1959) Methods of sampling and analysis of concrete
[25] Indian Standard 516 (1959) Methods of tests for strength of concrete