Strengthening of structures by composite materials based on jute and flax fibers

Ghiwa BOU ABDALLAH

doi:10.26168/ajce.40.1.52

Ghiwa BOU ABDALLAH Civil Engineering Department Sustainable Construction, ITHEMM EA 7548, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26168/ajce.40.1.52

Keywords: Keywords Flax fabric composite, jute fabric composite, number of layers, tensile behavior, flexural behavior

Abstract

Despite the many advantages of synthetic fiber composites, the use of bio-composite as a new material for structural reinforcement will be interesting to aim towards sustainable construction with reduced environmental problems. This study investigated the performance of epoxy polymer composites reinforced with natural flax fabric and jute as reinforcement materials for concrete structures. The jute and flax fabrics were tested in tensile to compare their characteristics with those of carbon. The effect of the type of fabrics as well as the thickness of the composite are evaluated. The thickness of the composites considered were 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 layers of fabric. The results show that there is an increase of 36% in the ultimate bending load for both fabrics compared to the reference beam. Therefore, the results allowed to consider natural fabric composites as well-suited materials for the strengthening concrete structures.