The Intematlonal Joumal of Cement Composites and L~ghtwelght Concrete, Volume 10, Number3 August 1988

Physical, mechanical and durability

characteristics of date palm frond
stalks as r e i n f o r c e m e n t in structural
concrete
H. H. AbdeI-Rahman*, R. AI-Juruff, F. Ahmadf and I. Alam:/:

Synopsis This paper deals with an experimental investigation of the phystcal and mechamcal properties of
Date Palm Frond (DPF) stalks and their durabihty In concrete.
The study of the physical propert=es of DPF stalks reported here includes the anatom=c structure of the
stalk and the effect of water absorption on its volume. Tenston tests were used to determine the mechanical
properttes of the stalks. Test results show that the tensile strength of the stalk walls ranges between 116 to
208 N/ram 2 while that of the core ts almost one half of these values. The modulus of elasticity of the stalks is
found to range between 10 to 30 kN/mm 2. Flexural tests carried out on concrete beam spectmens reinforced
w=th a single DPF stalk showed that the stalk provided no reinforcing effect due to lack of bond resulting from
the tapered nature of the stalk. Chemical tests were dessgned to examine the durab~hty of DPF stalks =nfresh
concrete whde accelerated tests were designed to investigate the long-term durability of stalks encased =n
hardened concrete Results presented m thts paper show that the alkahne medium of fresh concrete has no
effect on the tensde strength of DPF stalks. They also show that coat=ng DPF stalks w=th varn=sh greatly
~mproves thetr long-term durablhty m concrete.

Keywords Natural fibres, reinforcing matenals, tensile strength, elastic modulus, durabihty, alkali resistance
tests, composite structures, reinforcement (structures), flexural strength, protectwe coatings, reinforced
concrete

INTRODUCTION the durability of such stalks, which are basically com-

Date Palm Fronds (DPF) are indigenous matenals avad-
able in large quantities in Saudl Arabia, Egypt and many
other countnes The posslbihty of using DPF mn
developing low cost bulld=ng matenals has been under
investigation by the authors [1 Jat King Fahd University of
Petroleum and Minerals
In particular, the posslbd~ty of using the DPF stalks
as a less-expenswe replacement to steel bars in low cost
housing units, which was first advocated by EI-Erian and
Youssef [2], has been expenmentally investigated by the
authors [1] However, before attempting to use DPF
stalks as mare reinforcement in concrete members, =t =s
~mportant to accurately determine their physical and
mechanical propert=es It is equally important to examine
*Asststant Professor. Department of Ciwl Engmeenng.King
Abdulazlz Umverslty, P O Box 9027. Jeddah 21413. SaudlArabia
t Associate Professors. Department of C~wlEngineering
Assisant Professor, Department of Chemistry. King Fahd
Umverslty of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran31261. Saud=Arabia
Recewed 17 September 1987 Accepted8 April 1988
(~) Longman Group UK Ltd 1988
0262-5075/88/10306175/$02.00
posed of organic fibres, in concrete both in its fresh and
long-term hardened condlt~ons
As it is known, natural fibres are usually composed
of cellulosac matenals cemented together with weaker
matenals The deterioration mechan0sm of natural fibres
in portland cement concrete has been explained by Gram
[3] to be due to the alkahne attack on the cementmg
matenals rendering the cellulose chains unconnected
and hence unable to carry any load According to Gram
[3], the alkahne attack may be accelerated at conditions
of maximum moisture movements around the fibres by
cycles of subsequent wetting and drying of the
specimen
It is expected that DPF stalk strength, like other
natural fibres, will deteriorate with time particularly under
harsh weather conditions However, unlike other fibres,
the rate of deterioration may be less ~n the case of DPF
stalks because of their smaller contact area w~th the
concrete matrix compared with other natural fibres hke
s~sal for example
This paper ~s divided into three major parts In the
first part the anatomic structure of the stalk cross-sec-
tion, ~ts d~mens~onal stabthty and mechamcal properties

175
Phvs~cal, mechanical and durabd~tv charactenst~cs o7 date pa[~, ~.cr'd
stalks as reinforcement In structural concrete AbdeI-Rahman, AI-Juruf, Ahmad and Alarn

are investtgated The second part discusses the dura-

bility of stalks 0nfresh concrete, while the third part deals
with long-term durabihty of DPF stalks In hardened
concrete
In order to assess the durabtllty of DPF stalks m
fresh concrete, stalk spectmens were soaked =n cement
and water m~xtures for vanous time durations up to 120
hours All specimens were then tested for ult0mate
strength Comparing the strength of treated and
untreated specimens, the effect of soak=rig on the
specimens' strength can be determined
To assess the rate of detenorat~on of natural fibres m
concrete, Gram [3] has suggested the use of thin
concrete beam specimens reinforced w~th the natural
fibres The specimens are then subjected to an ~ncreas-
ing number of aging cycles In the case of 'Fmmsh
Cflmate Box' [3], specimens are sublected to alternate
storage in water with a temperature of 50°C for 3 hours
followed by storage =natr with a temperature of 20°C and
95% relatwe humidity However, ~n the 'CBI Chmate
Box' [3], each cycle starts with wetttng by spnnkhng
water at 10°C for 30 mtnutes and then drytng at 105°C for
51/2 hours. The detenorat=on of the fibres ~sassessed from
the loss of the ultimate flexural strength of the beam
spectmens compared to a reference uncycled one
In this paper, concrete beam specimens with
embedded DPF stalks are used to assess the long-term
durability of the stalks =n hardened concrete However,
the aging cycles m this case consist of alternate wetting
for 2 hours and drying for 10 hours at 100°C The effect of
the aging process on DPF stalks ~s then assessed by
measunng the direct tensile strength of stalk specimens.
extracted from the cycled beams rather than measunng
the flexural strength of such beams
Gram [3] and Z~raba et al [4] have suggested some
measures to ~mprove the durability of natural s~sal fibres
in concrete These measures are
(1) Coating of fibres w~th protectwe matenals
(2) Coating of fibres w~th moisture =nh~b=tmgchemicals
(3) Altenng the alkahn=ty of the concrete matnx
(4) Seahng off the pore system of the matnx to inhibit
moisture m~grat~on through the specimen by
coating the whole specimen w~th a suitable matenal
such as sulphur
Expenmental tests reported ~nthis paper ~nclude the
study of effectweness of DPF stalk coated with either
varmsh, b~tumen or sulphur ~nmaintaining high long-term
durability of such stalks ~n concrete
Stalk (or
Leaflets (or Leaves)
Figure 1 Schematic representation of a date palm frond
(DPF)
fibro-vascular bundles which provide fluid transport and
structural stabd0ty In comparison the peripheral bundles
are small, compact and congregated, and their s~zes
range from 0 15mm to 0 2mm The inner bundles are
large and scattered, and their s~zes range from 0 4 mm to
0.6mm
D I M E N S I O N A L STABILITY OF DPF STALKS
Objective
The mare purpose of thts sectton was to measure the
change in DPF stalk volume as ~ts water content
changes
Test specimens and procedures
Specimens prepared for this purpose were about 10cm
long with diameter depending on tts location on the
tapered stalk A total of 21 specimens were cut out of
three stalks of nearly slmdar size. The average diameter
of each stalk at the 'distal' end was about 1 0cm while
that at the 'basal' end was about 2 0cm The specimens
were divided into seven groups, B1, B2 and B3 from the
basal parts of the stalk and D1. D2, D3 and D4 from the
distal parts as shown schematically in Figures 3 and 4
The test procedures can be summansed as follows'
(1) Specimens were oven-dned at a temperature of
70°C for 48 hours This relatsvely low temperature
and longer time duration were chosen to evaporate
most of the motsture from the speomen w~thout
causing any damage to the specimen itself
~le
FV Bun

derml~
DPF STALK STRUCTURE
A date palm frond consists of a central stalk and Parent
branching slim leaves as shown in Figure 1 DPF stalks Cells
are long, unbranched and filled inside with cellular
tissues which are traversed by strands of fibro-vascular
bundles, as shown m Figure 2 The material composttton
of the stalk includes a sohd layer of cut=cle to protect the
stalk from dehydration followed by a supporting layer of
epidermis Combined xylem, phloem and fibres form Figure 2 Schematic cross-section of DPF stalk

176
 Physical, mechamcal and durab~hty charactenst~cs of date palm frond
stalks as reinforcement m structural concrete AbdeI-Rahman, AI-Juruf, Ahmad and Alam

120
Figure 3
Effect of increase in
B1 B2 B3 DI D2 D3 D4 moisture content on the
I00 increase in volume of basal
specimens
o
=E
80

6o D

0 Specimens 'B]'

• • Speclmens 'B2'
40 o~° D
i ~ Specimens 'B3'
O
z~

20
£3
I I I
age Increase i n Moisture C o n t e n t

I I I I
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

(2) The weight and volume of the dned specimen were water content was calculated as the percentage ratto of
then determined and referred to as 'dry weight' and the increase fn weight of a spectmen divided by its dry
'dry volume' respectively weight. S0mdarly, the percentage mcrease m volume was
(3) The specimens were completely tmmersed in tap calculated as the percentage ratto of the increase m
water at room temperature volume of a specimen dtwded by Its dry volume.
(4) The new wetght and volume of the specimens were It can be seen from these figures that an increase of
measured after increasing penods of time about 8 0 - 9 0 % ~n stalk volume would take place due to a
100% increase tn Its weight by water absorption.
The increase m stalk volume which occurs due to
Results water absorption can cause swelhng cracks m concrete if
F=gures 3 and 4 show the average percentage increase m the stalks are used as reinforcement w~thout treatment.
volume corresponding to the average percentage On the other hand, the drying and shnnkage of stalks
increase m moisture (water) content for basal and distal while encased ~n concrete can cause separation
spec=mens respectwely The percentage increase ~n between the DPF stalk and concrete Hence tt is

Figure 4
Effect of increase in
£ BI B2 B~ Dl 1)2 D3 D4 moisture content on the
Z~
z
I 1 I ! i i i | •
increase in volume of distal
specimens
•J
[3 [3.
[3
JJ 0 O
[3

m -- I
Sp e c lme n ~ 'D]'

• Specimens 'D2'
• Z~ D
V Speclmen.~ '1)3 ~

o Speclraens 'D4'

I I J I
d5
age Increase in M o i s t u r e Content

2o 40 O0 80 lO0 120 140 lO0 180 200

177
 Physical, mechamcal and durabthty charactenst~cs of date palm frond
stalks as reinforcement in structural concrete
120
End Section Onl) C o a t e d ~
I00
80
4~
~~.rface Only Coated
60
,4
.,-{
/ modulus of elasticity values for DPF stalks range from
//
40
20 / / Tota I) Coated
4 8 12
Time of Submersion ~n Water (Days)
Figure 5 Effect of bitumen coating on water absorption of
DPF stalks
essenttal to ensure volume constancy of the DPF stalks,
ff they are going to be used as reinforcement ~nstructural
members Thts may be achieved by using a suttable
water-repellent treatment for the stalks before being
encased in concrete, such as varnish, bitumen or
sulphur
Tests s=mtlar to the ones descnbed above were
carned out on nine speamens to examine the
effectiveness of bttumen as water repellent Three
similar specimens had end sections only coated, the
other three had surfaces only coated while the rematn=ng
three speamens were totally coated The test results are
shown in Figure 5 where only about 10% gain m weight
has taken place after full immersion of totally coated
specimens for more than two weeks It =s also shown m
thts figure that coating of stalk surface only or end
secttons only ~s not sufficient and total coating of the
whole stalk ts necessary for efficient water repellency
TENSILE STRENGTH AND STRESS-STRAIN
BEHAVIOUR
The dtrect tenston test ~s used to determine the tensile
strength and the stress-strain behavlour of DPF stalks
Due to the nature of DPF stalks, several technical
problems were encountered ~nthe attempts to carry out
successfully complete tension tests These problems
were mainly related to the weak beanng resistance and
178
AbdeI-Rahman, AI-Juruf, Ahmad and Alam
the shpplng of the stalks when placed in the jaws of the
testing machine. Finally, it was posstble to prepare and
/ test two types of specimens' one group of spemmens
obtained from the wall of the DPF stalk, and anothe'r
group obtained from the core of the DPF stalk shaped as
shown in Figure 6 It was observed that specimens of the
first group displayed much higher tensile strength values
than specimens of the second group The strength
values of the first group ranged from 116N/mm 2 to
208 N/mm 2 as shown in Figure 7, while the second group
strength values ranged from 71 N/mm 2 to 100N/mm 2 It
may be concluded that the strength of a DPF stalk core is
only about one half of the strength of the wall Also. it
was found that DPF stalks have relatively low modulus of
elast~aty compared with that of steel reinforcement. The
10kN/mm 2 to 30kN/mm 2 Another important obser-
vat=on to report here =s that all tested spectmens
dtsplayed a hnear stress-strata relattonshtp up to the
point of rupture, as shown tn Ftgure 7 for wall specimens
DURABIUTY OF DPF STALKS IN FRESH CONCRETE
Objective
16 20
The purpose of this part of the study was to determine
the resistance of DPF stalk to the alkahne attack by fresh
concrete
Test specimens and procedures
Two groups (A and B) of DPF stalk samples were used
Every group has seven samples where every sample in
group A has a twin sample tn group B Every pair of twin
samples was taken from adjacent locations on the same
stalk Three tension specimens shaped as shown in
Figure 6a were prepared from each sample The average
tensile strength of the three specimens ts used to
represent the tensile strength of the sample
Samples of group A were tested without pnor
treatment while samples of group B were first immersed
in a mixture with proportions of 50g of portland cement
and 100 ml of delontsed water for vanous ttme durations
[ I®
L 7o 8°, .r
I- T "T -F -1- -I
h. ('ore S|)ec imon~
a,. Wall qpecmen'~
Figure 6 Typical tension test specimens
Physical, mechamcal and durablhty charactenstlcs of date palm frond
stalks as relnforcement m structural concrete AbdeI-Rahman, AI-Juruf, Ahmad and Alam

250 Table 1 Ultimate tensile strength for samples of groups A

and B
Average ultimate strength
(N/mm 2) Percentage
Group increase

200
/ no
1
2
Group A
215.8
213 6
Group B
300 7
304 4
in strength
39 3
42.5
3 182.9 273 6 49 6
4 251.0 312.7 24 6
5 223.8 255.8 14.3
6 255.3 321 0 25 7
150 7 237.2 247 2 42

need more investigation, it may at least be concluded

here that the alkahne medium of the fresh concrete does
ioo not reduce the strength of DPF stalk This may be
in
u)
(#
f / attributed to be anatomic structure of DPF stalk,
discussed earher m this paper. As shown ~n F~gure 2 a
U3
hard solid layer of cuticle exists at the outer surface of the
DPF stalk cross-sect~on. Th~s layer may well be respon-
sible for the stalk resestance to the alkaline attacks.
50

ACCELERATED DURABILITY TESTS OF DPF STALKS

o 2 4 6 8 12
Strazn (10 -3 ram/ram)
Figure 7 Stress-strain diagrams for wall specimens
at room temperature Samples B1 to B7 were treated for
6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours respectwely Each
sample was first weighed and then fully immersed In the
cement solution rn a test tube The tubes were then
sealed and shaken mechanically for the specified dur-
at,on After the end of the exposure t~me, samples were
weighed and then left to dry in room temperature where
the samples' weights were recorded periodically
Results
The average tensde strength for each sample of groups A
and B is calculated from the measured tensile strength of
~tsthree specimens and shown Jn Table 1 Companson of
the tensde strength of corresponding samples m groups
A and B shows clearly that ~n all the cases there ~s an
increase in strength of samples of group B which were
treated m cement-water m~xture The increase ~ntreated
sample strength ranges from about 4 - 5 0 % of the
untreated sample strength Although the precise
reasons for the increase in the treated sample strength
IN HARDENED CONCRETE
Objective
These tests were designed to investigate the durabihty
of DPF stalks coated w~th vanous water-repellent agents
14
when encased an concrete
Test specimens end materials
Twenty-four beams, 400 x 100 x 85mm were tested.
Three of these beams were of plain concrete, while the
remaining 21 beams were reinforced with one bar of DPF
stalks, divided into three groups as follows
(1) Eight beams reinforced with DPF stalks coated with
Varnish (V-group).
(2) Eight beams reinforced with DPF stalks coated with
Bitumen (B-group)
(3) Five beams reinforced wath DPF stalks coated with
Sulphur (S-group).
Portland cement ASTM Type I and local aggregates were
used in the concrete mix w~th a water-cement ratio of
0 45 and a cement-aggregate ratio of 1/3 with 3"5 fine to
coarse aggregate ratio
Durability test procedures
(1) After curing with wet cloth for 28 days, one beam
specimen was tested in flexure under central load-
ing over a span of 360mm. The rest of the
specimens were sublected to an increasing number
of aging cycles

179
Physical, mechanical and durablhty charactenstlcs of date palm frond
stalks as reinforcement ~nstructural concrete AbdeI-Rahman, AI-Juruf, Ahmad and Alam

(2) Dunng each agtng cycle, the specimens were
sublected to the following operattons
(a) Immersion tn water at room temperature for 2
hours
(b) Wiping off excess water
(c) Drying in an oven at 100°C for 10 hours The
cycle ~s then repeated
(3) Specimens were sublected to 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50
or 100 cycles After the required number of cycles
was reached, they were tested in flexure up to
failure under a central load over a span of 360mm
(4) After the flexural test was completed, the retnfor-
crag DPF stalks were extracted from the concrete
beams, cleaned off the coatings and vtsually exam-
tned A number of tension spectmens [3 or 4],
shaped as shown m Figure 6a were then prepared
and tested The ultimate tensile strength for each
spectmen ~s determined and an average value for
each beam ts obta=ned
Results and dicussion
The ultimate flexural loads of the plain concrete beams
were 5 8, 6 7 and 4 6 kN with an average value of 5 7 kN
When these values are compared with the ultimate
flexural loads gwen in Table 2 for beams reinforced with
DPF stalks, ~t can be observed that the ultimate loads of
the reinforced beams fall within the range of loads
recorded for plain concrete beams Th~s ~ndJcates that
bond between retnforclng stalks and concrete was not
moblhsed The lack of bond between the stalks and
concrete, which was also indicated by large bond slip of
the stalks, may be attributed to the tapered nature of the
stalks For this reason results of flexural beam strength
are not used here as a cntenon to determine the strength
of cycled DPF stalks and hence thetr durability character-
~stlcs Instead, the dtrect tensde strength of the extracted
DPF stalks is used The ultimate tensile strength for
extracted stalk specimens is gwen in Table 2 while the
average tensile strength of stalk specimens extracted
from a cycled beam ~n a group is compared In Ftgure 8
w~th the average tenstle strength of stalk specsmens
extracted from the uncycled beam ~n that group
It can be seen from Table 2 and Figure 8 that the
tensile strength of all cycled varnish coated stalk
spectmens ts greater than those of the uncycled
specimens It ~s also remarkable that the average tensile
strength of specimens extracted from the beam sublec-
ted to a hundred cycles of such 'harsh' wetting and
drying condtt~ons, ~s stdl more than 40% h~gher than that
of specimens extracted from the uncycled one
The bttumen-coated specimens detenorated rapidly
as the number of cycles of wetting and drying was
Increased

Table 2 Beam flexural loads and tensile strength of extracted stalk specimens

Utt~mate
No of flexural Tensile strength (N/mm 2) %
Beam aging load P Change of
code cycles kN 1 2 3 4 Average strength

V0 0 62 229 227 376 - 277 0

V1 5 50 305 311 225 347 297 +07
V2 10 50 344 653 - - 499 +80
V3 20 55 280 329 538 - 382 +38
V4 30 55 200 400 391 - 330 +19
V5 40 52 513 333 251 - 366 +32
V6 50 49 442 364 400 - 402 +45
V7 100 53 375 370 447 - 397 +43

B0 0 55 305 266 346 296 303 0

B1 5 45 213 357 455 235 315 +04
B2 10 43 125 292 232 - 216 -29
B3 20 47 92 123 153 - 123 -59
B4 30 46 219 265 - - 242 -20
B5 40 5 25 45 94 167 - 102 -66
B6 50 58 107 71 248 89 129 -57
B7 100 6 15 77 33 6 72 36 6 21 -93

SO 0 79 196 205 285 - 229 0

$1 10 * 128 173 209 - 170 -26
$2 30 * 183 173 305 - 220 -04
$3 40 62 250 102 185 - 179 -22
$4 50 * 171 182 180 133 167 -27
* Specimen cracked during cychng and was not tested in flexure

180
Physical, mechanical and durab~hty charactenst~cs of date palm frond
s talks as rein forcemen t ~nstructural concrete AbdeI-Rahman, AI-Juruf, Ahmad and Alam

200
water, about 80-90% increase ~nvolume may occur due
to water absorption of about 100% of themr ongmal
weight.
/\\
180

160 • / 2. The tensde strength of DPF stalk wall ranges

/ \. ...-- between 116 and 208N/mm 2 whde that of the core ~s
almost one half of these values
140

z20
I
I \\,II] 3. The stress-strata relatJonshp of DPF stalks ~s hnear
up to the point of rupture w~th a modulus of elasticity
i00
LEQ~D ranging between 10 to 30 kN/mm 2
D3 \ • if"O~'k T y p e of C o a t l n g
m~ ~m Varnish
4. Because of ~ts tapered nature, a sangle DPF stalk
~o prowdes no reinforcing effect for concrete beams in
\
• --. -- • Bz tureen
flexure
o
60
\ / \ .... ,'I sulphur
5. DPF fibres suffer no durabdlty problem in the alkahne
= 40
,,I medium of fresh concrete
6. Varnish coating of DPF stalks results in excellent
long-term durablhty charactenstlcs Sulphur coating is

l0
I
20
I
30 40
L
50 60
~t"~'~ql
70
1 80 90 100
less effectwe in producing durable DPF stalks while
bitumen coating has to be totally avoided
No. of Cycles

Figure 8 Percentage ratio of cycled to uncycled average ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

tensile strength of extracted DPF stalk The work presented ~n thus paper ~s a part of a research
specimens prolect funded by King Abdulaziz Cuty for Soence and
Technology (KACST) in Saudl Arabia under grant No
AR-6-141 All opinions, findings, conclusions or recom-
Wsual investigation of extracted stalks showed that mendations m this pubhcat~on are of the investigators
chemical reaction mght have taken place between and do not reflect the wews of KACST
b~tumen and stalk at h~gh temperatures resulting ~n a The support of King Fahd Unwerslty of Petroleum
more fragile stalk Thrs showed that bitumen penetrated and Minerals is also acknowledged
the concrete surrounding the stalk, probably as ~t hqu~-
dlsed at high temperatures, causing a reductmon ~n the
thickness of protectwe b=tumen layer REFERENCES
Sulphur-coated specimens showed less reduction 1 AI-Juruf, R S, Ahmed, F, AbdeI-Rahman, H H and
~n the ultimate tensde strength due to cychng After 50 Alam, I, 'Development of New Building Matenals
cycles the average tensile strength of stalk specMmens ~s Using Date Palm Fronds', Final Report submitted to
about 27% less than the strength of uncycled King AbduI-Az0z City for Soence and Technology,
specimens The loss of strength of these stalks may be Saudl Arabia, May 1987, 363 pp
due to some chemical reactton between sulphur and the 2 EI-Enan,A A and Youssef, M A R, Building Mater-
stalk It ~s clearly seen that the varnesh coating gwes the tals for Housing of Low-Income Sector in Egypt. an
best results for the durabd~ty of DPF stalks m hardened 'Appropriate Building Materials for Low-Cost Hous-
concrete ing', Proceedings of a Symposium held in Nalrobl,
Kenya, 7-14 November 1983, pp 228-35
3 Gram, H E, 'Durabdlty of Natural F~bres in Concrete',
CONCLUSIONS Swedish Cement and Concrete Research Institute,
Based on the test results presented ~n th~s paper, ~t may Stockholm, Sweden, 1983, 255 pp
be concluded that 4 Ziraba, Y N, Baluch, M H. and Azad, A K, 'Use of
plastlosed sulphur in sisal-fibre concrete', DurabdJty
1. For Date Palm Frond (DPF) stalks submerged in of Building Materials, Vol 3, 1985, pp 65-76

181