Effects of wetting and drying cycles on microstructure change and mechanical properties of coconut fibre-reinforced mortar

Huyen Bui (1) , Daniel Levacher (2) , Mohamed Boutouil (3) , Nassim Sebaibi (4)

1 UCEIV - Unité de Chimie Environnementale et Interactions sur le Vivant
2 M2C - Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière
3 Laboratoire de recherche de l'ESITC
4 ESITC Caen - École Supérieure d'ingénieurs des Travaux de la Construction

Natural fibre-reinforced cementitious composites are commonly used as outer construction materials. They usually suffer weather as a result of being expose to various types of climates. In this study, a series of experimental tests were carried out to investigate the deterioration mechanism and mechanical properties of mortars incorporating coconut fibres due to repeated wetting and drying. The results indicated that although the compressive strength was found to increase after the first cycle, both compressive and flexural strengths underwent a significant decrease in the fifth cycle. In addition, at high temperatures, mortar matrixes retain their stable structure, according to the results of TGA analysis. When wetting and drying curing was applied, there was a significant degradation of fibres in the mortar.

Mots clés: coconut fibre; wetting and drying cycle; moisture absorption; mechanical properties; thermogravimetric analysis

Domaines: Matériaux

Huyen Bui, Daniel Levacher, Mohamed Boutouil, Nassim Sebaibi. Effects of wetting and drying cycles on microstructure change and mechanical properties of coconut fibre-reinforced mortar. Journal of Composites Science, 2022, 6 (4), pp.102. ⟨10.3390/jcs6040102⟩. ⟨hal-03946658⟩