Experimental Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Goat Hair Fiber Reinforced Concrete
Subject Areas : Innovative Construction Materials
somayeh hatami
1
*
,
Eslam Rezaei
2
1 - استادیار، گروه مهندسی عمران، واحد خورموج، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، خورموج، ایران
2 - M.Sc., Department of Civil Engineering, Boushehr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Boushehr, Iran
Keywords: Goat hair, Fiber reinforced concrete, Compressive strength, Tensile strength, Workability,
Abstract :
One of the disadvantages of concrete is low tensile strength and poor crack resistance. The use of fibers in the concrete mixing design is an effective and practical method to increase ductility and energy absorption capacity, reduce cracking and enhance the tensile strength of concrete. Using natural fibers in concrete is always recommended with the aim of saving non-renewable resources and using sustainable materials. In this research, the effect of using goat hair as an example of natural fibers on the mechanical properties of concrete was investigated. To achieve this goal, concrete samples were made with different percentages of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1% goat hair with a length of 13-22cm and diameter of 50-60 microns. To assess the effectiveness of this fiber, plain concrete properties were used. The results indicated that the addition of goat hair fibers increases the compressive and tensile strength of concrete samples at ages 7 and 28-day. This fact was more evident in the samples containing 0.5% goat hair with respect to the weight of cement. For example, at the age of 28-day the improvements in compressive and tensile strength was 18.2% and 83.4%, respectively. Also, by adding goat hair fibers to concrete, workability was reduced and concrete samples containing 0.75% or less fibers had acceptable workability. In general, the use of 0.5% of goat hair fibers is recommended as the optimal percentage in reinforced concrete due to its effect on the mechanical properties of concrete and economic efficiency.