Characterisation of natural fibres as concrete composites for structural applications

Interest in natural fibres – both as natural and waste materials – for improving structural resistance as reinforcement arose mostly because of their lower cost and better availability. So far the work on concrete and other composites has been mainly concentrated on aero and automobile applications and a very few have been attempted in civil infrastructural activities. Those studies are mostly concentrated on mechanical strength, not on its usage in infrastructural systems. So here in this study, an attempt to reuse locally available waste fibrous natural materials in concrete as fibre composites, is made so that its resistance to cracking and unanticipated loadings like seismic effects is improved particularly in structural systems. In this paper rice husk, coconut coir and sugarcane waste fibres are taken and randomly distributed in reinforced concrete beams. Performance of the composite beams are ascertained under monotonic loading and compared with conventional concrete beams.