Sisal pulp reinforced cement mortar

✍ Scribed by R.S.P. Coutts; P.G. Warden

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 367 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0958-9465
• DOI: 10.1016/0958-9465(92)90035-t

✦ Synopsis

The study of sisal strands as reinforcement in cement and cement mortars is well reported in the scientific literature; however, little information is available on sisal pulp in such materials. This study shows that superior products suitable as building materials can be easily fabricated using sisal pulps (either soda or kraft pulping methods can be employed). The optimum formulation is about 8% pulp by mass and provides a 50-60-fold increase in fracture toughness over the neat matrix. At this level the flexural strength is about double that of the matrix.

strands deteriorate within the cement matrix due to chemical attack by calcium hydroxide, present during hydration of the cement. 7

In this study sisal pulps were prepared by the kraft and soda processes and the mechanical and physical properties of fibre cements incorporating them evaluated with a view to the use of these materials as building products. Future studies will examine their long-term durability and compare the results with the published work of others on sisal strand reinforced products.