Search Results (4)

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the feasibility of using ferrocement jacketing, polypropylene fibers, and carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets (CFRP) to enhance the shear resistance of unreinforced brick masonry. The study involved testing 12 wall panels in diagonal compression, three of which were strengthened using each of the above-mentioned techniques. The results showed that all three strengthening techniques led to a significant improvement in the shear resistance and deformation capacity of the unreinforced walls. Furthermore, the results showed that the strengthened walls exhibited a significant improvement in shear resistance and deformation capacity by a factor of 3.3–4.7 and 3.7–6.8, respectively. These findings suggest that ferrocement jacketing is a viable and highly effective method for strengthening masonry structures. Test results can assist in the decision-making process to identify the most suitable design and retrofitting solution, which could indicate that not only new materials, but also traditional methods and materials (ferrocement) could be interesting and effective, also considering their lower initial cost. Full article

Ferrocement panels are thin-section panels that are widely used in lightweight construction. Due to lesser flexural stiffness, they are susceptible to surface cracking. Water may penetrate through these cracks and may cause corrosion of conventional thin steel wire mesh. This corrosion is one of the major factors which affect the load-carrying and durability of ferrocement panels. There is a need to improve the mechanical performance of ferrocement panels either through using some non-corrodible reinforcing mesh or through improving the cracking behavior of the mortar mix. In the present experimental work, PVC plastic wire mesh is employed to address this problem. SBR latex and polypropylene (PP) fibers are also utilized as admixtures to control the micro-cracking and improve the energy absorption capacity. The main idea is to improve the structural performance of ferrocement panels that may be utilized in lightweight, low-cost house construction and sustainable construction. The ultimate flexure strength of ferrocement panels employing PVC plastic wire mesh, welded iron mesh, SBR latex, and PP fibers is the subject of the research. Test variables are the type of mesh layer, the dosage of PP fiber, and SBR latex. Experimental tests are conducted on 16 simply supported panels of size 1000 × 450 mm and subjected to four-point bending test. Results indicate that the addition of latex and PP fibers only controls the initial stiffness and does not have any significant effect on ultimate load. Due to the increased bonding between cement paste and fine aggregates, the addition of SBR latex improves the flexural strength by 12.59% and 11.01% for iron mesh (SI) and PVC plastic mesh (SP), respectively. The results also indicate an improvement in the flexure toughness of specimens with PVC mesh as compared to specimens with iron welded mesh; however, a smaller peak load is observed (i.e., 12.21% for control specimens) compared with the specimen with welded iron mesh. The failure patterns of the specimens with PVC plastic mesh exhibit a smeared cracking pattern that shows that they are more ductile compared to samples with iron mesh. Full article

Geopolymer mortar is the best solution as an alternative to cement mortar in civil engineering. This paper deals with the effect of geopolymer mortar on the strength and microstructural properties under ambient curing conditions. In this research, geopolymer mortars were prepared with fly ash and steel slag (in the ratio 1:2.0, 1:2.5 and 1:3.0) as precursors with NaOH and Na₂SiO₃ as activator solution solutions (in the ratios of 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0) with concentrations of NaOH as 8 M, 10 M, 12 M and 14 M to study the compressive strength behaviour. From the experimental results, it was observed that the geopolymer mortar mix with the ratio of fly ash and steel slag 1:2.5, 12 M NaOH solution and the ratio of NaOH and Na₂SiO₃ 0.5 exhibits the maximum compressive strength results in the range of 55 MPa to 60 MPa. From the optimized results, ferrocement panels of size 1000 mm × 1000 mm × 50 mm were developed to study the flexural behaviour. The experimental results of the flexural strength were compared with the analytical results developed through ABAQUS software. It was observed that the Trough-shaped geopolymer ferrocement panel exhibits 56% higher value in its ultimate strength than the analytical work. In addition to the strength properties, microstructural analysis was carried out in the form of SEM, EDAX and XRD from the tested samples. Full article

Ferrocement panels, while offering various benefits, do not cover instances of low and moderated velocity impact. To address this problem and to enhance the impact strength against low-velocity impact, a fibrous ferrocement panel is proposed and investigated. This study aims to assess the flexural and low-velocity impact response of simply supported ferrocement panels reinforced with expanded wire mesh (EWM) and steel fibers. The experimental program covered 12 different ferrocement panel prototypes and was tested against a three-point flexural load and falling mass impact test. The ferrocement panel system comprises mortar reinforced with 1% and 2% dosage of steel fibers and an EWM arranged in 1, 2, and 3 layers. For mortar preparation, a water-cement (w/c) ratio of 0.4 was maintained and all panels were cured in water for 28 days. The primary endpoints of the investigation are first crack and ultimate load capacity, deflection corresponding to first crack and ultimate load, ductility index, flexural strength, crack width at ultimate load, a number of impacts needed to induce crack commencement and failure, ductility ratio, and failure mode. The finding revealed that the three-layers of EWM inclusion and steel fibers resulted in an additional impact resistance improvement at cracking and failure stages of ferrocement panels. With superior ultimate load capacity, flexural strength, crack resistance, impact resistance, and ductile response, as witnessed in the experiment program, ferrocement panel can be a positive choice for many construction applications subjected to repeated low-velocity impacts. Full article