Mechanical Properties of Sustainable Mesocarp Fibre Reinforced Lightweight Foamed Concrete

Abstract

Foamed concrete has a tension weakness that can be mitigated by adding a suitable proportion of waste by-products such as mesocarp and trunk fibres. Accordingly, this study was conducted to explore the feasibility of using mesocarp fibre as a reinforcement in foamed concrete. Four varying percentages of mesocarp fibre were used: 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, and 0.8% as an additive in foamed concrete. Two densities were cast and tested: 700 and 1400 kg/m³. After that, all foamed concrete specimens were prepared and tested on 7, 28, and 56 days. Mechanical properties were investigated in this study. The results showed that adding mesocarp fibre to lightweight foamed concrete enhanced its compressive, flexural, and tensile strengths. Because a coarser surface allows mesocarp fibre and matrix interlocking in the cured cement matrix, the surface roughness of the mesocarp has been shown to be favourable for fibre-to-matrix interfacial bonding. According to the findings of this investigation, for a density of 700 kg/m³, 0.4% volume fraction was the optimum quantity of foamed concrete applied to obtain the ideal mechanical properties while 0.6% of mesocarp was optimal for 1400 kg/m³.