The use of natural (coconut) and artificial (glass) fibers in cement - polymer composites: An experimental study

Abstract

Fiber reinforced concrete composites are a group of high-performance materials with considerably enhanced stress-strain properties. Similar effects can also be achieved using polymeric binders whereby the inclusion of the polymers as binder can significantly enhance the physical-mechanical properties of the resulting concretes. In this regard, the following study investigates the impact of utilizing natural (e.g., coconut) versus artificially manufactured fibers (e.g., glass fiber) in polymer-cementitious composites. In doing so, 14 mixes were produced using various ratios of the two fibers. To evaluate the properties of the produced samples a series of tests including flow diameters, unit weights, water absorption values, compressive strengths, flexural strengths and ultrasound transmission rates were determined. Also, to evaluate the microstructural cohesion of polymercement and polymer-coconut samples, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) has also been used. The results show that the surface texture of fibers can play a key role in major engineering properties of the fiber reinforced concretes and that the natural fibers have great potential to be used as high-performance materials in cementitious composites. Also, it is found that the use of polymer as the main binder can provide higher adhesion with fibers containing smoother surface (e.g., glass fiber) at the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). In the end, recommendation for future studies is also included.