CONCEPT PAPER

st
1 Semester/Summer, AY 2020-2021
ENG-FO-
032

Concept No. : ____1____

General Subject Area : Constructruction Materials
Specific Area of Interest : Coconut Fibers Rope as Reinforcement in Seismic Areas

I. Introduction
Earthquake has been one of the most hazardous threats that have caused collapse of houses and
thus resulted in fatalities. The Philippines belong to the Pacific Ring of Fire where the oceanic Philippine
plate and several smaller micro-plates are subducting along the Philippine Trench to the East, and the
Luzon, Sulu and several other small Trenches to the West .There are 53 active volcanoes in the
Philippines. A measurable earthquake in the Philippines (greater than Magnitude 2.5) occurs almost every
day somewhere, but most people are completely unaware of them.
Earthquakes are unpredictable but the results that may cause fatalities could be minimized.
Conventionally, the result of an earthquake is collapsing of structures, the reasons may include the poor
quality of the materials and inadequate overall strength of the structure because of old traditional
construction techniques. These fatalities decreased a lot in the developed countries during the second half
of 20th century. This is due to the technology developed for building seismic-resistant houses. At the same
time, it requires expensive materials like steel reinforcement that ultimately results in costly housing.
Ductility describes the extent to which a material (or structure) can undergo large deformations without
failing. The term is used in earthquake engineering to designate how well a building will endure large lateral
displacements imposed by ground shaking. The ductile behavior of structures depends on many factors,
such as geometry, connections, material properties and structural members. Among all parameters,
members subjected to direct lateral seismic loads (e.g. shear walls and columns) are most important for
making a structure ductile along with its own material properties. Composites, like concrete, entirely depend
on their reinforcing materials for toughness, as concrete itself is brittle. This can be achieved by adding
fibers to concrete. Coconut fibers can be used in concrete for improving its properties. It may be noted that
coconut fibers have the highest toughness among all natural fibers. Munawar et al. [1] and Satyanarayana
et al. [2] reported strain of 24% and 39%, respectively, for coconut fibers, whereas other natural fibres have
strains in the range of 3–6%.
II. Significance/ Purpose
Using high quality materials are also costly materials cannot be used in developing or
underdeveloped countries at large scale especially in rural areas, because people simply cannot afford it.
Other alternatives are still under investigation to build earthquake-resistant houses at low cost. One key
aspect is to reduce the material cost considerably and another is to develop a construction technology to be
adopted in seismic prone rural regions The price of reinforcing materials will automatically be cut down if
the local resources are used. One option is to utilize natural fibers as concrete reinforcement. Studies have
shown that natural fibers are good alternatives at lower cost and promotes sustainable development as
they are renewable and recyclable. In this study, coconut fibers are selected because of their highest
toughness compared to that of other natural fibers.

III. Project Description

A. Objectives
Establish a reliable data using coconut fibers in concrete walls, columns, beams of structures in seismic zones.

B. Methodology and Timeline

The mix design of cement: sand: aggregate was 1:2:4 The calculated amount of cement and fine
aggregate are mixed together until a uniform mix is obtained. Fibers at varying amounts of 4%, 5% and 6%
to that of weight of cement are taken. Coir fibre strands are cut into a length of 5cm and tied into a rope
coated with coconut oil and dried in sunlight for 24 hours It is then added to the mix until a uniform colour is
obtained. Coarse aggregates are then added to the same and mixed, followed by addition of water. Care
should be taken to add water slowly in stages so as to prevent bleeding which may affect the strength
formation of concrete.
The basic static properties of Coconut Fibers Reincforced concrete were determined by standard
procedures,normally used for plain concrete. It may be noted that the cylinders of 100 mmdiameter , 200
mm height and beams of 100 mm width,100 mm depth,500 mm length were used for this purpose.
After curing the samples are tested in Shake Table Setup.
C. Expected Output
Behavior of coconut fiber rope reinforced concrete columns with different reinforcement
configuration of ropes. The results revealed that non-visible degradation occurred prior to the cracking of
columns, which was detected by the decrement of natural frequency. Its rope reinforcement configuration
can be considered better
amongst tested patterns. Using 25 mm diameter rope reinforcement is the best for seismic areas.
IV. Resources Needed/ Cost
 • Coconut fibers, could cost 200 pesos per sack of coconut husk
• Shake table machine, still unknown cost
• 1 bag cement, Php 250
• Sand and gravel

Prepared by:
Calo, Mark Jason
FMETHOD Section: CIV163/ FMETHDL Section: CIV161
Canon, Beverly Anne
FMETHOD Section: CIV161/ FMETHDL Section: CIV162
Custodio, Trixia Mhay
FMETHOD Section: CIV162 /FMETHDL Section: CIV161
Roselio, Edewin
FMETHOD Section: CIV165/ FMETHDL Section: CIV165
Ventura, Carlven Joseph C.
FMETHOD Section: CIV163 /FMETHDL Section: CIV164
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Accepted by:

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Signature over Printed Name of Adviser Date