An experimental study on the durability properties of abaca fiber concrete

Abstract

The addition of natural fibers in concrete has effectively proved to increase the mechanical strength and durability of concrete in the recent years. They help to tackle the brittle response and limiting post-yield energy absorption by forming a bridge across the cracks in concrete. This study assesses the durability properties of abaca fiber reinforced concrete (AFRC) by surface water absorption test, rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT) and sorptivity test. The optimum percentage of abaca fiber (AF) to be used was chosen to be 0.5 % as it gave the maximum compressive strength value in concrete and a small amount of superplasticizer has been added to reduce the water content in the mix design to match the high water absorption capability of AF. The respective tests were performed to observe the improved properties of water resistance and resistance to chloride ions penetration after 3, 7, 28, 56, 90 and 180 days of curing. It has been found that the addition of AF enhances the ability of concrete to reduce permeability better compared to the effect of conventional concrete (CC).