Joel Junias, Sanket Nayak, and Sreekanta Das
i Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, India, 21dr0066@cve.iitism.ac.in
ii Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, India, sanket@iitism.ac.in
iii Professor, University of Windsor, Canada, sdas@uwindsor.ca
ABSTRACT
The internal mortar reinforcement technique is gradually picking up the pace in the construction industry due to its proven performance in recent years. Nylon and coir fibres are becoming popular reinforcement materials for their favourable mechanical properties. Most of the previous studies have focused on concrete structures subjected to seismic loading. However, there is a rise in vehicle impacts on roadside structures and rockfall and debris flow impacts in hilly regions. A significant portion of the population still resides in masonry structures, which are more affordable to the common man than reinforced concrete structures. In the current study, a simple and cost-effective drop-weight impact testing machine was developed to evaluate the impact resistance of masonry wallets measuring 500 mm in length, 500 mm in breadth, and 120 mm in depth. Nylon (textile waste) and coir fibres (agro waste) were used for mortar reinforcement to strengthen the wallets, and a comparative analysis was carried out between the impact resistance of unreinforced and reinforced masonry. Coir fibres of 15 mm in length were added to the mortar at concentrations of 0.25%, 0.3%, and 0.4% by weight. Similarly, the nylon fibre’s length was fixed at 18 mm and was added at concentrations of 0.15%, 0.2%, and 0.25%. The results showed that regardless of the type and concentration of fibres used, the flexural strength of all fibre-reinforced mortar prisms and the impact resistance of the masonry wallets were significantly enhanced. Therefore, it can be concluded that nylon and coir fibres effectively strengthen masonry structures against impact loading by internally reinforcing the mortar with fibres.
KEYWORDS: Masonry, impact, nylon, coir, fibre, strengthening.
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