Strength Properties and Toughness Indices of Hybrid Polymeric Fibre Reinforced Renewable Oil Palm Shell Concrete

In this study, the strength properties and durability of polymeric fibre-reinforced concrete containing renewable oil palm shell (ROPS) lightweight aggregate were investigated. The effect of individual Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) fibre, individual Polypropylene (PP) fibre and hybrid PVA-PP fibre with various percentage of volume fraction, Vf (0, 0.3 and ‘0.25+0.05’%) on the compressive strength and toughness indices of ROPS LWC were examined. The research outcomes show that compressive strength of ROPS lightweight concrete strengthened with individual PVA fibre or PP fibre enhanced with the increase of Vf fibre. From the results, toughness indices increased significantly by 38.3% compared to control mix. Furthermore, the hybrid ‘PVA0.25/PP0.05’ had revealed the optimum results as associated to other mixes. Thus, the outcomes of this paper showed that the blend of both PVA and PP polymeric fibre could potentially be utilized in concrete industry.