Use of Coconut Husk Fiber for Improved Compressive and Flexural Strength of

Concrete
Concrete is the primarily material adopted by the construction industry around the globe
because of its fresh plastic state that gives it the ability to be molded into different shapes and
affordability. The usage of concrete worldwide is twice as much as wood, steel, plastics and
aluminum put together and is only exceeded in the modern world by the usage of naturally
occurring water.
Concrete is known for high compressive strength and low tensile strength (about 10% of
the compressive strength). For this, ordinary concrete members are unable to resist tensile
stresses and therefore is very prone to crack formation. Over the years, concrete technology have
evolved through the aid of chemical admixtures and mineral admixtures such as fly ash, slag,
etc., leading to increases in the compressive strength while its tensile strength is still very low.
As a consequence of low tensile stresses, cracks form already under small loads and widen and
propagate very quickly.
Coconut fiber is extracted from the outer shell of a coconut. Its scientific name and the
plant family of the coconut fiber is “Cocos Nucifera” and “Arecaceae (Palm)” respectively,
while it is commonly referred to as “Coir”. The cultivation of coconut is concentrated in the
tropical belts of Asia and East Africa. There are two types of coconut fibers, white fibers that are
obtained from immature coconuts and the brown fibers obtained from matured coconuts.
Coconut fibers have low thermal conductivity while being tough and stiff. Coconut fibers can be
easily gotten in Nigeria from local farmers in Badagry area of Lagos and in many Nigerian
villages. The stress-strain relationship for coconut fibers have been reported by some researchers.
Coconut fiber amongst all natural fibers is the most ductile. Coconut fibers have the capacity of
taking strain 4-6 times more than that of other natural fibers
This article is informative especially in the study of the proponents because in this article
the uses and characteristics of the concrete and coconut fiber are stated and explained clearly.
Concrete is more useful compare to the wood, plastics and aluminum. Concrete was develop
over the years, many chemical mixtures and mineral mixtures was added to increase the
compressive strength. Coconut fiber is the main ingredient in the study of the proponents. This
article also explained the capacity of taking strains of the coconut fibers compare to the other
natural fibers that is really helpful in the study of the propents. In the construction industry many
of them are using already a coconut husk as a sustainable construction materials. The proponents
will develop the existing study and add more useful materials that people will surely benefit.
Source:
Anthony Nkem Ede and Joshua Olaoluwa Agbede, (2015)
Use of Coconut Husk Fiber for Improved Compressive and Flexural Strength of Concrete
http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/9049/1/4%20Ede-Agbede_.pdf
 The Feasibility of Modified Magnesia-Phosphate Cement as a Heat Resistant
Adhesive for Strengthening Concrete with Carbon Sheets
Magnesia-phosphate cement (MPC) is based on the chemical reaction of acidic liquid or
phosphate with a solid basic dead-burned magnesia oxide powder. This cement has several
advantages such as high early strength, rapid setting and hardening, excellent bonding with old
Portland cement concrete. The use of this cement as a rapid patch repair material in construction
field has been well studied in the past decades. However, this material has seldom been used as
an adhesive for concrete strengthening, especially in high temperature environments. This paper
seeks to investigate the bond properties of the modified MPC between externally bonded carbon
fiber sheets and concrete at elevated temperatures when being compared with epoxy resin. The
compressive strength of the modified MPC does not decrease at the temperature of 600 ˝C. The
specimens bonded by different adhesives (epoxy resin and the modified MPC) were heated to
different temperature levels of 105 ˝C, 200 ˝C, 300 ˝C, 400 ˝C and 500 ˝C and maintained for 3
h. The bond strength and failure types of specimens after different high temperature exposures
were measured
After 28 days of room temperature curing, the upper unanchored zone of carbon fiber
sheets on the strengthened concrete specimens, which was not coated by MPC mixture, was
wrapped with the tunnel fire coating. After the tunnel fire coating became completely dry, the
specimens were firstly exposed to 105 ˝C in an oven for 24 h. The purpose of this treatment is to
avoid explosive spalling of concrete caused by the evaporation of free water under high
temperatures. Then, the dried specimens were placed in a high temperature furnace and heated
up respectively to 200 ˝C, 300 ˝C, 400 ˝C and 500 ˝C for 3 h with the temperature increasing rate
of 3 ˝C/min and then cooled to room temperature. After the high temperature treatment, the
tunnel fire coating was cleaned up and then the bond strength measurement was carried out.
Three specimens were tested for each mixture after every temperature exposure and the average
value was evaluated as the bond strength.
This article is a privileged to the proponents in their proposal to understand how the heat
resistant works in the cements. Cement tiles is the planned project of the proponents for roofing
and the development to that is the heat resistant that is surely helpful to the society especially on
the summer season.
Source:
Ailian Zhang and Xiaojian Gao (2016)
The Feasibility of Modified Magnesia-Phosphate Cement as a Heat Resistant Adhesive for
Strengthening Concrete with Carbon Sheets
https://sci-hub.tw/https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/6/6/178
 Research of Water Resistance and Heat Resistance of Magnesium Phosphate
Cements

It is well-known that magnesium phosphate cements have a unique combination of

qualities: high-enough resistance (more than 10 MPa), heat resistance (retained strength over 800
°ɋ is not less than 70 %) at the increased water resistance (more than 0.7 at the softening factor),
that allows their usage for different purposes. In particular, such materials are promising to be
used in construction of the premises with high and variable humidity, for fire exits and
fireproofing of bearing constructions . However the magnesium phosphate cement as a
representative of binding agents produced by thermal treatment has the main drawback
connected with high cost, therefore it makes the issue of producing unburned binding systems
vital. Among the problems of magnesium phosphate cements there is a short setting time when
using an active magnesium oxide which in practical terms immediately reacts with the
orthophosphate acid with the emission of great amount of heat, warming up the mixture over 100
°ɋ, and the speed of reaction significantly exceeds the speed of structure formation and it highly
complicates the production of magnesium phosphate pieces.
One of the ways to solve these problems is to use unburned magnesium rocks. The
brucite, magnesite and dolomite also react very fast with the orthophosphate acid with the
emission of a big quantity of heat and gases (water vapor and carbon dioxide), which prevents
from receiving a material on their base. The compositions on the base of nature magnesium
silicate have an acceptable speed of reaction that made their compositions with the
orthophosphate acid the subject of this research.

This article explained how the used of water resistance and heat resistance of Magnesium
Phosphate cements. In the proposal of the proponents it is helpful in terms of the fireproofing of
the cements. The article deals with the perspectives of producing heat-resisting materials on the
base of serpentine rocks (a by-product of asbestos production) and the factors preventing it. In
the article they identified the heat resistant with the use of serpentine with the orthophosphate
acid it is possible to produce a heat-resistant material with high strength, it is connected with the
formation of a magnesium phosphate that the Proponents can also use their planned proposal
about Development of Heat Resistant tiles made of coconut husk for roofing materials.
Source:
Ⱥ.Ⱥ. Orlov, Ɍ.N. Chernykh (2016)
Research of Water Resistance and Heat Resistance of Magnesium Phosphate Cements
http://sci-hub.tw/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.07.140