The Internatlona/ Joumal of Cemen t Composites and Lightweight Concrete, Volume 9, Number 2 May 1987

Air-cured A b a c a reinforced c e m e n t
composites
R. S. P. Coutts* and P. G. Warden t

Synopsis The flexural strength and fracture properties of air-cured cement reinforced with Abaca fibres
were studied. It was found that at fibre Ioadings of approximately 8% by mass, flexural strengths of 27MPa
and fracture toughness values of approximately 2 kJ/m 2 could be obtained. Although Abaca fibres have a high
aspect ratio (approximately 400) they were found to be not superior as a reinforcing fibre to the much cheaper,
readily available P. radiata fibres (aspect ratio approximately 75) already used in cement as an alternative to
asbestos reinforcement.

Keywords Fibre reinforced cement, Abaca fibre, wood pulp, fracture properties, flexural strength, water
absorption, density, porosity, composite materials, cellulosic fibres, aspect ratio, asbestos replacement,
fracture toughness, natural fibres, strength of materials.

INTRODUCTION hollow; the central lumen can vary in size at various

Presently there is a strong resurgence of interest in
natural fibres as a source of reinforcement for both
organic and inorganic matrices, but particularly in
cements and concretes. Studies have examined the
mechanical and physical properties of cementitious
materials reinforced with sisal, jute, wood and many
other natural fibres [1].
Unfortunately, natural fibres, when used as
reinforcement in composite materials, do not lend them-
selves to the same exacting study as synthetic fibres.
Synthetic fibres such as polypropylene, kevlar, glass or
steel can be prepared with uniform strength, cross-
section, diameter, and length. Hence to study the effect
of length, diameter or aspect ratio on the mechanical
performance of a composite containing such fibres is not
difficult.
When one scans the reports on properties for
natural fibres one is immediately aware of the spectrum
of values for any given property both within a given class
of fibre and across classes. Fibres can be derived from
leaf, stem or wood and their age of growth affects the
values of fibre diameter and length. The fibres are
* R S P Couttsisa Principal Research Scientist in the Division of
Chemical and Wood Technology, CSIRO, Private Bag 10, Crayton
S16S, Australia His main researchmterestsincludeinterfacial
science, the utibsation of cellulosic fibres in various inorganic
matrices for the manufacture of building products, and the use of
inorganic polymers as coatings.
t p. G Warden~saTechnicaJOfficer, working in the same Division,
with interests m fibre reinforced cement and plaster composites
Rece,ved 2 AugL~st 1986 Accepted 10 October 1986
(c~ CSIRO, Australia 1987
0262-5075/87/09201069/$02.00
stages of growth and may collapse to some degree;
hence altering the cross-sectional area of the fibre within
a given fibre type.
In composite theory it is generally stated that, as the
aspect ratio (the ratio of fibre length to fibre diameter) of a
given fibre type (e.g. steer, polypropylene, glass etc.) is
increased, there is a resultant improvement in flexural
strength and in particular fracture toughness.
Recently it has been shown that softwood pulp
fibres (P. radiata) can replace asbestos fibres in commer-
cial, autoclaved, fibre-cement products manufactured by
the Hatschek process [2, 3]. An examination of several
different hardwood fibres demonstrated that use of
these shorter fibres resulted in autoclaved fibre reinfor-
ced cement mortars with flexural strengths comparable
(>20MPa) to those prepared with softwood fibres, but
with considerably reduced values of fracture toughness
[4]. This observation prompted a study of fibres, with
large values of aspect ratio to see if an increase in aspect
ratio would result in improved fracture toughness values.
Abaca and New Zealand flax are two natural fibres
with high values of aspect ratios. The New Zealand flax
fibre has been studied as a reinforcement for autoclaved
cement mortar [5]. In that study it was reported that flax
fibre reinforced composites had comparable flexural
strength to that of P. radiata reinforced autoclaved
cement mortar but the fracture toughness values were
much lower at Ioadings between 2 - 1 0 % fibre (by mass).
This was rather surprising as the average fibre length of
New Zealand flax is approximately equal to that of P.
radiata but its fibre diameter is much less; thus flax has a
considerably greater value of aspect ratio (Table 1).
Abaca occurs in as many as 200 varieties, with
reported fibre lengths ranging from 5 0 to 9.0mm and
fibre widths from 12.4 to 21.5p.m [6] Abaca was thus

69
Air-curedAbaca reinforced cement composites , :,, r~ :,:: ~ ~'~:~,

Table 1 Fibre properties

Fibre length Fibre diameter Aspect

Fibre mm #m ratio Referer,ce
Softwood (P. radiata) 30 40 75 !~
Hardwood (E. r e g n a n s ) 10 16 60 '~
New Zealand Flax 2.7 14 i90 5
Abaca 70 i (:i 400 6

considered a suitable fibre for study with regard to the
effect of aspect ratio on the property of fracture
toughness in fibre reinforced cements.
EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Materials and sample preparation
The fibre used in this study was Abaca (Abaflex 1)
supplied by Manning Paper Company, Troy, New York
The fibre was treated in the laboratory in a Valley beater,
in 23 L of water with a bed-plate load of 5.5 kg and a stock
concentration of 360g oven dried fibre. The matrix was
prepared from ordinary portland cement.
Samples prepared in the laboratory from fibres
processed in a Valley beater were mixed in a slurry of
approximately 20% solids (using tap water) with a fibre
mass fraction ranging from 2 to 10%. The mixture, was
stirred for 5min, then poured into an evacuable casting
box 125mm x 125mm so that it could be distributed
over the screen.
A vacuum was drawn until the sheet appeared dry
on the surface; the sheet was then flattened carefully
with a tamper, and the vacuum of 60kPa (gauge) was
applied for a further 2 min. The sheet was then removed
on the filter screen. The sheet and screen were stored
between two steel plates and the procedure repeated
until a stack of six sheets had been prepared. The stack
of sheets was then pressed for 5rain at a pressure of
3 2 MPa. The toad was applied slowly to prevent damage
to the sheets. The preparation was completed within 1 h
from the working of the first slurry. After pressing, the
screens were carefully removed from the sheets which
were stacked flat in a sealed plastic bag for 5d and then
placed in an atmosphere of 50 _+ 5% RH and 22 +_ 2°C
until tested at 28d.
Test methods
Specimens were cut with a diamond saw to specified
dimensions. The cut samples were then either (i) placed
in a controlled atmosphere of 50 + 5% relative humidity
(RH) and 22 + 2°C for at least 5d or (ii) soaked in water for
48h, with excess water being removed with a cloth prior
to testing.
Rectangular strips measuring approximately
125mm by 4 0 m m (of varying thickness) were sampled
for flexural strength and fracture energy tests. The
flexural strength was measured in three-point bending as
3Pt/2bd 2, where
P = maximum load recorded during test,
J = specimen span,
P = specimen width and
d = specimen depth
A span of 100mm and a deflection rate of 0.Smm,
rain was used on an Instron testing machine (Model
1114). The results of the flexural tests were obtained by
using automatic data-collecting and processing equip-
ment. The fracture energy was calculated from the area
under the load-deflection curve. The fracture toughness
is the fracture energy divided by the specimen cross-
sectional area. The comparison of fracture energy or
fracture toughness is strictly valid only for specimens of
the same thickness.
Water absorption values and density
measurements were obtained by the methods laid down
in ASTM-C220-75.
In all cases at least nine samples were tested for
flexural strength, fracture toughness, density and water
absorption; both means and standard deviations were
determined. The method of porosity determination used
in this study was water displacement pycnometry [7}
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results of the various tests are shown in Table 2 and in
Figures 1~ 3
Flexural strength
Composites were prepared from disintegrated Abaca lap
pulp over a range of fibre fractions (2-.10% fibre by
masst In earlier studies of cellulosic fibre reinforced
cement matrices [2, 5, 8] RH flexural strength was at a
maximum at approximately 8% by fibre mass. Abaca
fibre reinforced cement also developed maximum flexu-
ral strength (27 MPa), when tested in a controlled atmos-
phere, at approximately 8% fibre by mass (Fig. i). The
effect of moisture on the samples is to reduce the
flexural strength to between 5 0 - 7 0 % of the dry strength.
This is in agreement with the reduction in strength
observed with air-cured, wood pulp, fibre-cement
composites when tested wet and dry [91.
At low fibre content (2-4% fibre by massi Abaca
fibre reinforced cement composites have flexural
strengths values some 2 .-3MPa greater than those ~.)f

70
Air-cured Abaca rein forced cement composites Coutts and Warden

Table 2 Properties of Abaca reinforced cement composites

Water
Fibre % FlexuraL strength, MPa Fracture toughness, kJ/m 2 Density absorption Porosity
(by mass) RH* WETt RH* WETt g/cm 3 % %

2 17.5_+2.0 11.8 + 1.2 0.47 _+0.10 0.94+0.03 1.81 +_0.03 16.0 + 0.4 29.0
21.8 -+ 2.1 15.4 +__1.9 0.93 _+ 0.24 3.01 -+ 1.31 1.67 + 0.03 17.8 _+ 0.7 29.7
6 26.3 _+ 1.6 15.6 ± 2.5 1.76 + 0.48 4.52 + 1.27 1.58 _+ 0.04 20.1 + 0.7 31.8
8 27.3 _+ 3.2 14.8 __+2.3 2.08 _+ 0.33 4.79 + 1.55 1.55 + 0.03 21.9 _+ 0.9 34.0
10 24.7_+3.9 12.1 +1.7 2.19-+0.78 4.11 -+1.45 1.43_+0.03 24.8 + 1.0 35.5

* Test samples were conditioned before testing at 50 + 5% RH and 22 + 2°C

1- Test samples were soaked for 48 h, dried with a cloth and then tested

Figure 1
Effect of fibre content on
flexural strength at various
test conditions

~-RH TESTED KRAFT (REF 9)

30

25

n
~ ~ .. , ~ o ~ACA
-'r
k- 20
•

Z
w
rr
I-
~n 15 • / O ~ - ~ (I] ~ W E T TESTED KRAFT (RIEF 9)

x
w
,.,I 10 o~ ~ W~TT.TEO ARA&
u.

2 4 6 8 10 12

FIBRE CONTENT (PERCENT BY MASS)

the corresponding wood fibre reinforced matenals [9] Fracture t o u g h n e s s

(Fig. 1). However, at high fibre Ioadings (8-10% fibre by
mass) the wood fibre reinforced samples have flexural
strength values which are some 2-3MPa greater than
those of the Abaca reinforced products (Fig. 1). As the
Abaca fibres and P. radiata fibres are similar in tensile
strength, the above effect could be associated with the
fabrication of the composite and/or the aspect ratio of the
respective fibres. At low fibre content the longer Abaca
fibres (5-9 ram) are able to bridge cracks more effectively
than the shorter P. radiata fibres (2-4mm); whereas, at
high fibre Ioadings the shorter fibres are more readily
dispersed in a homogeneous manner {less 'bailing-up' of
the fibres) throughout the composite material and so can
arrest cracks more effectively.
The fracture toughness of cellulosic fibre cement
composites has been considered to be primarily depen-
dent upon two micromechanisms; fibre fracture and
fibre pull-out [101.
The aspect ratio is often considered to be one of the
major factors, along with fibre volume fraction, which
affect the flexural strength and fracture toughness of a
composite. As the aspect ratio increases, a higher value
of fracture toughness, due to fibre pullout, would be
expected, providing the fibres do not 'ball-up' during
mixing.
The use of Abaca fibres offers an opportunity to
further study this effect of aspect ratio with cellulosic
fibre composites. An earlier study of autoclaved wood

71
Air-cured Abaca reinforced cement composttes ,. ,:~:~ ::-;,~,,~,~v~;u;:h::,,

5.0 Figure 2
Effect of f i b r e c o n t e n t on
~ O ~ ~ E] ,C'WET TESTED KRAFT (REF 9)
fracture t o u g h n e s s at
v a r i o u s test c o n d i t i o n s

4.0

3.0
(/)
[11
Z
=
0
O
I--
uJ 2.0
n-
=)
I,-
0
<
E
i,

1.0

2 4 6 8 10 12

FIBRE CONTENT (PERCENT BY M A S S )

Figure 3
Relationship between water
a b s o r p t i o n and d e n s i t y
O ABACA CEMENT COMPOSITES

D KRAFT CEMENT COMPOSITES

30

U)
< 25 r~o
:S
>-
¢1
P
Z 20
I.U
U
Pc' O ~
I,U

Z 15
0
r-
a.
n-
O
¢~ 10
m
,<
n-
w
p-

1,4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1,8 1.9

D E N S I T Y ( g/r'J'n ~)

72
Air cured Abaca rein forced cement composites
fibre reinforced mortars [4], in which hardwood fibres
[short] were compared with softwood fibres [long],
showed little difference in flexural strength but a distinct
drop in fracture toughness at any given fibre content (by
mass) for the composites containing the shorter
hardwood reinforcement.
ft has been shown with cements reinforced with
either steel fibre [12] or polypropylene fibre [13] that the
flexural strength increases with increasing fibre
embedment length and decreased with increasing fibre
diameter. When New Zealand flax [5] was compared
with P. radiata [8] as reinforcement for autoclaved
cement mortar the effect of aspect ratio on flexural
strength was not observed. Abaca fibre reinforced
air-cured cement also demonstrates (Fig. 2) that
although the fibre has a large aspect ratio (Table 1) the
fracture toughness values observed for RH tested
samples are similar to those noted for P. radiata fibre
reinforced air-cured cement [9]. However the wet-tested
samples show much greater fracture toughness values
when the fibre content is below the maximum strength
Ioadings (<8% by mass - - Fig. 2). Such behaviour could
be attributed to better fibre distribution for low Ioadings
of fibre which offer less restricted pullout of the fibres. It
has been shown [10] that wet tested cellulosic fibres
display less fibre fracture and more fibre pullout during
loading-to-failure because of decreased fibre matrix
bonding. The reduction in interfacial bond strength has
been ascribed to the rupture of the hydroxide bridges
and/or hydrogen bonds [14].
Water absorption and density
The amount of water absorbed by the cellulose fibre
cement composites depends on their densities as
illustrdted in Figure 3. Both the overall density and the
water absorption of the composite are dependent upon
the relative proportions of the constituent fibres and
matnx. There appears to be little difference in the
relationship of water absorption to density for the fibre
cements derived from P. radiata or Abaca fibres (Fig. 3).
CONCLUSIONS
Cement composites reinforced with the more expensive
Abaca fibre (aspect ratio approximately 400) have flexural
strengths comparable to those of composites reinforced
with P. radiata (aspect ratio of approximately 75). Values
of 27-30 MPa are observed when the fibre content is 8%
by mass.
The fracture toughness values of fibre cements
derived from Abaca fibres (2 kJ/m 2 at 10% fibre by mass)
are similar to those observed for fibre cements using P.
radiata fibres.
In conclusion it can be stated that no obvious gain in
mechanical performance is achieved when using Abaca
fibre as a replacement fibre for P. radiata in fibre cement
products.
Coutts and Warden
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73