FLEXURAL CRACKS OF THE REINFORCED CONCRETE (RC) WITH THE ADDITION OF COCONUT FIBERS
Main article
Abstract
In this study, the behaviour of flexural cracking in the highly reinforced concrete of the concrete beams of was examined. Investigations were conducted on 27 reinforced concrete beams with the dimensions of 150x150x500mm. The concrete strength is 25 map, with the bar diameter 12 mm in the tension and compression zone, and 8 mm for the links stirrups were the factors examined in this work. In between each link the length is 10 mm. In this study, the coconut fibres are used to strengthen the concrete's flexural properties and to control the cracks in the reinforced concrete members from spreading. In addition to the coconut fibres, the coconut fibre-reinforced concrete also contains cement, fine, water, and coarse aggregate. In this experiment, the flexural cracking behaviour of the reinforced concrete beams with varying percentages of the coconut fibres (3 and 6%) is compared to the control sample, at 7, 14, and 28 days. The beams are tested for the third-point loads. To assess the flexural cracking behaviour of the concrete beams, factors such as the first cracking load, maximum crack width, and crack number are also examined. The outcomes demonstrate that the inclusion of the coconut fibres greatly reduces the flexural crack width. After 28 days of cure, the concrete with a 6% fibre content had 68% smaller maximum crack width than the control concrete (without fibre). The outcomes also demonstrate that the inclusion of the coconut fibres increases the initial cracking load and maximum load.
