Authors:
Saravana, Raja Mohan K.; Sumathi, A.;
Abstract:
The use of fibers to strengthen materials, which are weak in tension, goes back to ancient times. Nowadays, many types of commercially available corrosion free fibers are being used to reinforce cement concrete, thereby improving the behaviour of structural elements. Even though extensive investigations have been conducted to study the behaviour of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) and polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete (PFRC), the use of jute fibers, which are locally available in large quantities, has not received much attention and studies reported so far are old and few. The present study focuses on the use of jute fibers in improving flexibility and ductility properties in concrete and has been carried out to investigate the feasibility of developing jute fiber reinforced concrete (JFRC) using jute fibers varying from 0.15 to 0.6, by volume. To improve the concrete toughness, a small fraction of short fibers and fly ash (0 to 30% by weight of cement) was added to the concrete mix. fibers provide resistance to crack propagation and crack
widening before being pulled out or stressed to rupture. Tests were conducted on different specimens with optimum fiber parameters and results are compared with those normally used for reinforced concrete
specimens.
Keywords:
Fiber reinforced concrete, Fly ash