Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of Coir Fiber-reinforced Concrete Using Nano-silica

Coir fiber (CF) is an economical, eco-friendly, readily processed and easily available natural fiber. The development of strategies to mitigate the detrimental impact of CF on compressive strength (CS) is necessary in order to incorporate it into cementitious composites for structural purposes. Consequently, this study employed nano-silica (NS) as an additive to enhance the production of carbon fiber-reinforced concrete (CFRC) due to its filler properties. To fabricate the CFRC, 0, 2, 4, and 6% of CF and NS by cement weight were incorporated. The durability, microstructure, and novel characteristics of CFRC were investigated. The results indicated that CF reduced the density, uniformity, and CS. Furthermore, it enhanced the interior porous feature of the concrete microstructure. The compressive strength, flexural strength (FS), and split tensile strengths (STS) of the concrete were significantly enhanced by the use of up to 2% NS. The addition of up to 4% CF to the concrete in the absence of any NS resulted in an increase in its STS and FS. The microstructure of the CFRC was enhanced by the incorporation of up to 4% NS by refining and closing the apertures generated by the CF. The mechanical properties of CFRC that included CF and NS were evaluated using multivariable statistical models that demonstrated a remarkable level of precision. These models were highly significant.