Basalt fiber has arisen new perspectives due to the potential low cost and excellent mechanical performance, together with the use of environmental friendly coir can be beneficial to the development of sustainable construction. In this study, a new composite structure called basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) tube encased coconut fiber reinforced concrete (CFRC) is developed. The 28-day compression strength of the plain concrete is about 15 MPa, which represents the low-strength poor-quality concrete widely existing in many old buildings and developing countries. Three types of BFRP tubes, i.e., 2-layer, 4-layer, and 6-layer, with the inner diameter of 100 mm and a length of 520 mm, were prepared. The plain concrete (PC) and CFRC were poured and cured in these tubes to fabricated BFRP tube confined long cylindrical beams. Three PC cylindrical beams and 3 CFRC cylindrical beams were prepared to be the control group. The four-point bending tests of these specimens were carried out to investigate the enhancement due to the BFRP tube and coir reinforcement. The load-carrying capacity, force-displacement relationship, failure mode, and the cracking moment were analyzed. Results show that both BFRP tube confined plain concrete (PC) and BFRP tube confined CFRC have excellent flexural strength and ductility, and the inclusion of the coir can further enhance the ductility of the concrete.
Flexural Behavior of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer Tube Confined Coconut Fiber Reinforced Concrete
