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Sisal Fibre Concrete - Removed
Sisal Fibre Concrete - Removed
INTRODUCTION
1. General
The use of fibers as reinforcement is as old as human
civilization. Traces of natural fibers such as flax, cotton, silk, wool and
plant fibers have
been located in ancient civilizations all over the globe. The major
advantage
of fiber reinforcement is to impart additional energy absorbing
capability and to transform a brittle material into a pseudo ductile material.
Fibres in cement or in concrete serve as crack arrestor which can create a
stage of slow crack propagation and gradual failure. There has been a
growing interest in utilizing natural fibres as reinforcement in polymer
composite for making low cost construction materials in recent years.
Natural fibres are prospective reinforcing materials and their use until now
has been more traditional than technical. River sand, which is one of the
constituents used in the production of conventional concrete, has become
highly expensive and also scarce. In the backdrop of such a bleak
atmosphere, there is large demand for alternative materials from industrial
waste. This project aims the feasibility of using sisal fibre with the partial
replacement of fly-ash in conventional concrete.
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CHAPTER-4
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
1. Introduction
This chapter deals with the study of experimental investigation of various
materials like cement, Granite Powder, coarse aggregate, water that were used in
Granite Powder partially replaced concrete.
2.Materials Used
Cement
The most commonly available Portland cement of 53-grade was used for
the investigation. Cement was bought from the same source throughout the
research work. While storing cement, all possible contact with moisture
was avoided.
Portland cement is foremost among the construction materials used in
civil
engineering projects around the world. The reasons for its often use are
varied, but among the more important are the economic and widespread
availability of its constituents, its versatility and adaptability, as evidenced by
the many types of construction in which it is used and the minimal maintenance
requirements during service ( Mindess et al., 2003). Concrete is unique among
major construction materials in that it is generally designed specifically for a
particular project using locally available materials (Lay, 1990). Regarding its
composition, concrete is considered a composite material made of coarse
granular material (the aggregate or filler) embedded in a hard matrix of material
(the cement or binder) that fills the space between the aggregate particles and
glues them together (Mindess et al., 2003). Aggregates can be obtained from
many different kinds of materials, but the most used materials, but the most
used materials from the nature are common rocks. There is a wide variety of
cements that are used to some extent in the construction and building
industries, or to solve special engineering problems (Bentz, 2001).
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can limit strength and wear resistance, and sometimes it may also break down
Rocks that tend to fracture easily along specific planes can also limit strength
and wear resistance. Aggregates should also be free of impurities like silt, clay,
dirt,
or organic matter. If these materials coat the surfaces of the aggregate, they will
reduction in strength. Silt, clay and other fine materials will increase the water
requirements of the concrete, and the organic matter may interfere with the
Water
the chemical reaction with cement. In general, water fit for drinking is suitable
for mixing concrete. Impurities in the water may affect setting time, strength,
Sisal fibre
The sisal fibers used in this investigation were characterized by Silva et al.
and they presented a mean density, elastic modulus and tensile strength of 0.9
These fibers were extracted from the sisal plant in a farm located in the city
with
Fig 4.1 SISAL FIBRE Plant
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Procedure
1. The sample should be thoroughly washed to remove finer particles and
dust, drained and then placed in the wire basket and immersed in distilled
water at a temperature between 22 and 32oC.
2. After immersion, the entrapped air should be removed by lifting the
basket and allowing it to drop 25 times in 25 seconds.
3. The basket and sample should remain immersed for a period of 24 + ½
hrs.
4. The basket and fibre should then be removed from the water, allowed to
drain for a few minutes, after which the fibre should be gently emptied
from the basket on to one of the dry clothes and gently surface-dried with
the cloth, transferring it to a second dry cloth when the first would
remove no further moisture.
5. The fibre should be weighed (Weight 'A').
6. The fibre should then be placed in an oven at a temperature of 100 to 110
o
C for 24hrs.
7. It should then be removed from the oven, cooled and weighed (Weight
'B').
Calculations:
Table - 4.3
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Result:
Water absorption of the sisal fibre is = 164%
Aim:
To determine the
moisture content of
the sisal fibre by
oven drying.
Apparatus Required:
Thermostatically
controlled oven, pan
and balance of
sufficient accuracy.
Formulae:
Where,
drain sample.
Procedure:
Calculati
on:
Table-4.6
Determinati
S.no Weight in gm Specific
on of gravity (G)
specific W1 (gm) W2 (gm) W3 (gm) W4 (gm)
gravity of
sand
1 665 1813 2202 1518 2.47
4. Coarse Aggregate
1. Water absorption
Aim
To determine the water absorption of coarse aggregates as
per IS: 2386 (Part III) - 1963.
Apparatus:
1. Wire basket - perforated, electroplated or plastic coated with wire hangers
for suspending it from the balance
2. Water-tight container for suspending the basket
3. Dry soft absorbent cloth - 75cm x 45cm (2 nos.)
4. Shallow tray of minimum 650 sq.cm area
5. Air-tight container of a capacity similar to the basket
6. Oven
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Sample:
A sample not less than 2000g should be used.
Procedure:
1. The sample should be thoroughly washed to remove finer particles and
dust, drained and then placed in the wire basket and immersed in distilled
water at a temperature between 22 and 32oC.
2. After immersion, the entrapped air should be removed by lifting the
basket and allowing it to drop 25 times in 25 seconds.
3. The basket and sample should remain immersed for a period of 24 + ½
hrs.
4. The basket and aggregates should then be removed from the water,
allowed to drain for a few minutes, after which the aggregates should be
gently emptied from the basket on to one of the dry clothes and gently
surface- dried with the cloth, transferring it to a second dry cloth when
the first would remove no further moisture.
5. The aggregates should be weighed (Weight 'A').
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Calculation:
Table-4.8
Result:
The specific gravity of coarse aggregate G = 2.61.
surface. The mould is then filled in four layers with freshly mixed
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4.4.2 Compaction factor test
Aim
To determine the workability of fresh concrete by compacting factor test
Apparatus
Compacting factor apparatus
Procedure
1. The sample of concrete is placed in the upper hopper up to the brim.
2. The trap-door is opened so that the concrete falls into the lower hopper.
4. The excess concrete remaining above the top level of the cylinder is
It can be realized that the compacting factor test measures the inherent
characteristics of the concrete which very close to the workability requirements
of concrete and as such it is one of the good tests to depict the workability of
concrete.
Fully compacted weight =19.735Kg
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Partial compacted weight =17.356Kg
Compaction factor = Partial compacted weight/ fully compacted weight
Result:
Compaction factor = 0.87
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TABLE 4.10
Compressive strength (N/mm²)
S2 31 41 44.5
S4 32 40.1 42.5
S6 32 41.4 43
Result:
The compressive strength of concrete was found out.
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CHAPTER - 5
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
1.Experimental results
Strength Tests
1. Compressive
strength
TABLE 5.1
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (N/mm²)
SPECIMEN 3 DAYS 7 DAYS 28 DAYS
S2 31 41 44.5
S4 32 40.1 42.5
S6 32 41.4 43
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
3 DAYS 7 DAYS 28 DAYS
S2
S4
S6
Figure 5.1
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Silva, F. A., Ghavami, K., d'Almeida, J.R.M., (Toughness of
Cementitious Composites Reinforced by Randomly Sisal Pulps), in
Eleventh International Conference on Composites Engineering - ICCE-11,
2004, Hilton Head Island - SC. Proceedings of the Eleventh International
Conference on Composites Engineering. Hilton Head Island - SC: ICCE -
11, 2004.
Silva, F.A., Melo Filho, J.A., Toledo Filho, R.D., Fairbairn, E.M.R.
(Mechanical behavior and durability of compression moulded sisal fiber
cement mortar laminates (SFCML)), in 1st International RILEM
Conference on Textile Reinforced Concrete (ICTRC), Aachen,
Proceedings, (2006) 171-180.
Swift, D.F., Smith, R.B.L., (The flexural Strength of Cement-Based
Composites Using Low Modulus (sisal) Fibers), Composites, p. 145-
148, 1979.
Toledo Filho, R. D., Joseph, K., Ghavami, K., England, G.L., (The use
of sisal fiber as reinforcement in cement based composites), Brazilian
Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Vol. 3, p. 245-
256, 1999.
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