Study of epoxy composites and sisal fibers as reinforcement of reinforced concrete structure

Abstract The application of structural reinforcement has presented a significant growth in the present days. The development of new materials for this purpose has aroused the interest of many researchers. The present work aim evaluate the production and application of polymers reinforced with vegetable fibers (PRFVeg) for reinforcement of reinforced concrete structures. An experimental program was developed using composites with 50%, 60% and 70% fibers volume content. The composites’s tensile mechanical properties were evaluated in order to choose the fiber content with better mechanical performance. Epoxy matrix and sisal fibers were adopted in the production of PRFVeg. The reinforcement design was performed by numerical simulation using the finite element method. The reinforced beams were submitted to a 3-point flexural test until rupture and the performance of the material produced was compared to carbon fiber reinforced epoxy (PRFC) composites commonly used as reinforcement of reinforced concrete structures. The results obtained showed that the PRFVeg present similar performance compared to composites reinforced with carbon fibers, obtaining a load increase of up to 62% compared to the beams without polymer reinforcement.