RESUMEN
Recent and past studies mainly focus on reducing the dead weight of structure; therefore, they considered lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) which reduces the dead weight but also affects the strength parameters. Therefore, the current study aims to use varied steel wire meshes to investigate the effects of LWAC on mechanical properties. Three types of steel wire mesh are used such as hexagonal (chicken), welded square, and expanded metal mesh, in various layers and orientations in LWAC. Numerous mechanical characteristics were examined, including energy absorption (EA), compressive strength (CS), and flexural strength (FS). A total of ninety prisms and thirty-three cubes were made. For the FS test, forty-five 100 × 100 × 500 mm prism samples were poured, thirty-three 150 × 150 × 150 mm cube samples were made, and forty-five 400 × 300 × 75 mm EA specimens were costed for fourteen days of curing. The experimental findings demonstrate that the FS was enhanced by adding additional forces that spread the forces over the section. One layer of chicken, welded, and expanded metal mesh enhances the FS by 52.96%, 23.76%, and 22.2%, respectively. In comparison to the remaining layers, the FS in a single-layer hexagonal wire mesh has the maximum strength, 29.49 MPa. The hexagonal wire mesh with a single layer had the greatest CS, measuring 36.56 MPa. When all three types of meshes are combined, the CS does not vary in this way and is estimated to be 29.79 MPa. In the combination of three layers, the chicken and expanded wire mesh had the most energy recorded prior to final failure, which was 1425.6 and 1108.7 J, whereas it was found the highest 752.3 J for welded square wire mesh. The energy absorption for the first layer with hexagonal wire mesh increased by 82.81% prior to the crack and by 88.34% prior to the ultimate failure. Overall, it was determined and suggested that hexagonal wire mesh works better than expanded and welded wire meshes.
RESUMEN
Natural fiber is a viable and possible option when looking for a material with high specific strength and high specific modulus that is lightweight, affordable, biodegradable, recyclable, and eco-friendly to reinforce polymer composites. There are many methods in which natural fibres can be incorporated into composite materials. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the physico-chemical, structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of Acacia pennata fibres (APFs). Scanning electron microscopy was used to determine the AP fibers' diameter and surface shape. The crystallinity index (64.47%) was discovered by XRD. The irregular arrangement and rough surface are seen in SEM photos. The findings demonstrated that fiber has high levels of cellulose (55.4%), hemicellulose (13.3%), and low levels of lignin (17.75%), which were determined through chemical analysis and validated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). By using FTIR, the functional groups of the isolated AP fibers were examined, and TG analysis was used to look into the thermal degrading behaviour of the fibers treated with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) Due to their low density (520 kg/m3) and high cellulose content (55.4%), they have excellent bonding qualities. Additionally, tensile tests were used for mechanical characterisation to assess their tensile strength (685 MPa) and elongation.
RESUMEN
Concrete technology is adopted worldwide in construction due to its effectiveness, performance, and price benefits. Subsequently, it needs to be an eco-friendly, sustainable, and energy-efficient material. This is achieved by replacing or adding energy-efficient concrete materials from industries, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag, steel slag, fly ash, bottom ash, rice husk ash, etc. Likewise, copper slag is a waste material produced as molten slag from the copper industry, which can be used in concrete production. Copper slag can perform roles similar to pozzolans in the hydration process. This paper extends the comparative study of copper slag concrete with polypropylene fiber (PPF) subjected to destructive and non-destructive testing. Under destructive testing, compressive strength of concrete cubes, compressive strength of mortar cubes, splitting tensile tests on cylindrical specimens, and flexural tests on plain cement concrete were conducted and analysed. Ultrasonic pulse velocity and rebound hammer tests were performed on the samples as per IS13311-Part 1-1992 for non-destructive testing. The 100% replacement of copper slag exhibited a very high workability of 105 mm, while the addition of 0.8% PPF decreased the flowability of the concrete. Hence, the workability of concrete decreases as the fiber content increases. The density of the concrete was found to be increased in the range of 5% to 10%. Furthermore, it was found that, for all volume fractions of fiber, there was no reduction in compressive strength of up to 80% of copper slag concrete compared to control concrete. The 40% copper slag concrete was the best mix proportion for increasing compressive strength. However, for cement mortar applications, 80% copper slag is recommended. The findings of non-destructive testing show that, except for 100% copper slag, all mixes were of good quality compared to other mixes. Linear relationships were developed to predict compressive strength from UPV and rebound hammer test values. This relationship shows better prediction among dependent and independent values. It is concluded that copper slag has a pozzolanic composition, and is compatible with PPF, resulting in good mechanical characteristics.
