Strength and fracture resistance of cellulose fiber reinforced cement composite

Abstract

This study presents the production and experimental assessment of the strengths and fracture resistance of cellulose fiber-reinforced cementitious composite material. The composite, which consists of mixture of recycled fibers obtained from waste carton boxes, was stabilized with measured level of Ordinary Portland Cement. The effects of constituent’s composition on compressive strength, flexural strength and fracture toughness were elucidated. Compressive strengths and flexural strengths were measured using uniaxial compressive and three-point bend loading conditions respectively while a single edge notch bend test (SENB) condition was employed for the fracture toughness measurement. The results obtained from experiments showed that the composite properties are significantly improved by the fiber reinforcement with optimum properties obtained at fiber composition of 5wt. % with compressive strength of 24.4 MPa, flexural strength of 8.0 MPa and fracture toughness of 1.36 MPa√m. The results were discussed for possible applications of robust cellulose fiber reinforced cement composite materials suitable for interior structural applications and to provide potential opportunities for waste management and/or recycling of carton boxes and other related wastes.