Effect of Sisal Fibre on Engineering Properties of Cement Concrete

The present research was designed to check the workability and strength properties of sisal fiber reinforced concrete with different percentage of fiber addition. The materials were chosen to improve the various strength properties of the structure to obtain sustainability and better quality structure. Short discrete vegetable fiber (sisal) was examined for its suitability for incorporation in cement concrete. Fibers were brushed, lined up and cut to obtain 5cm length. The study consists of preparation of three different types of mixes. First type is control specimen of M30 grade concrete. Second of S1 type contain 1% sisal fibre and third is of S2 type containing 2% sisal fibre. The mix design is performed according to IS 10262:2009 – the Indian Standard code of practice for mix design. The sisal fibre is varied from 1% to 2% percent weight of cement. The laboratory tests performed on concrete are workability (slump cone test), compressive strength and flexural strength. The slump test results, as is expected from inclusion of fibre, there is marked decrease in slump value. The compressive strength test results showed slight increase in concrete with sisal fibre. There is about 6% increase. The flexural strength increase is very high comparative to control specimen but overall the magnitude of flexural strength is very less. The increase is about 35%.