Evaluation of the influence of accelerated carbonation on the microstructure and mechanical characteristics of coconut fibre-reinforced cementitious matrix

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

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

In this study, two methods were used to measure the carbonation depth of coconut fibre-reinforced mortars that were prepared from Portland cement (PC) and calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA cement), including traditional phenolphthalein reagent and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Accelerated carbonation was conducted at 4% CO2 concentration, temperature of 20 °C and 65% relative humidity (RH) within 12 weeks. Complete carbonation was detected in the CSA cement-based mortar while PC-based mortar was carbonated partially according to both methods used. The difference in carbonation depth, however, is observed as soon as the reagent and TGA measurement were applied. The significant effectiveness of the carbonation process on the microstructure changes and mechanical characteristics of the cementitious matrix is highlighted through analysis of the change in the quantity of calcium carbonate (CC) and portlandite (CH) on the different mortar profiles and comparison with natural cured samples.

Mots clés: Coconut fibre; Mortar; Carbonation; Phenolphthalein; TGA measurement

Domaines: Matériaux

Huyen Bui, Mohamed Boutouil, Daniel Levacher, Nassim Sebaibi. Evaluation of the influence of accelerated carbonation on the microstructure and mechanical characteristics of coconut fibre-reinforced cementitious matrix. Journal of Building Engineering, 2021, 39, pp.102269. ⟨10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102269⟩. ⟨hal-03957336⟩