Fabrication of Lightweight Concrete Composites Using Natural Fibers in Thailand

摘要

This study developed lightweight concretes by using three different natural fibers from agricultural industries in Thailand which were corn husk fiber, bagasse fiber and coconut husk fiber. Low cost lightweight concretes in this study were fabricated using Ordinary Portland Cement type-1, coal fly ash, un-treated natural fibers and NaOH-treated natural fibers. The specimens were tested for bulk density, compressive strength, microstructure and deterioration. The result showed that the strongest concrete composite was obtained using 30 vol% fine coconut husk fiber in the concrete composition. The treated fibers showed an improvement in surface adhesion between cement matrix and fibers which resulted in higher compressive strength value.