Effects of Palm Fiber on the Mechanical Properties of Lightweight Concrete Crushed Brick

Abstract

Problem statement: Researches has been conducted worldwide on a large number of natural or artificial lightweight aggregates. In spite of many of the researches of using natural fibers show considerable promise, the use of natural fibers to improve the properties of lightweight concrete still required to be a subject of further research and investigation. Approach: This experimental investigation was carried out to study the properties of lightweight crushed brick concrete containing palm fiber of different volume fractions. An experimental programme was planned in which the tests such as density, compressive strength and flexural strength were conducted to investigate the properties of lightweight crushed brick concrete reinforced by palm fiber. The specimen incorporated different volume fractions of palm fiber, i.e., 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0%. Results: Tests results showed that the use of this fiber slightly increases the density of lightweight concrete. The use of 0.8% of palm fiber increases the compressive strength and flexural strength by about 13.4 and 16.1% respectively. Conclusion: The results indicated that the use of palm fiber with lightweight crushed brick concrete enhances the mechanical properties of the concrete and the optimization of the palm fiber fractions is required to get the best performance.