MECHANICAL, THERMAL, AND ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES OF MORTARS AND CONCRETES MODIFIED WITH FURCRAEA CABUYA TREL JUICE (FIQUE JUICE)

Abstract

Nowadays the use of synthetic additives for mortar and concrete is widespread; on the contrary, the alternative use of plasticizers and pore generators from plants or natural waste is not common. In this work, the effect of the addition of fique juice on mortars and concretes was evaluated. The compression strength of mortars was calculated, also their thermal conductivity, and acoustic impedance. Furthermore, the compressive strength of concrete (added with fique juice) was evaluated under a fire condition. Mortars were manufactured with several fique juice dosages ranging from 3% to 9% by weight of cement, and concretes were cast with 5%, 7%, and 10% of fique juice at water-cement ratio of 0.40. Results showed a reduction of the thermal conductivity of the modified mortars, and an increase in their acoustic absorption for frequencies lower than 1000 Hz with respect to the control (unmodified mortar). On the other hand, concrete modified with fique juice was subjected to temperatures of 200, 600 and 1000 °C, obtaining greater thermal insulation. The loss of compressive strength, due to fire, showed an inversely proportional relationship with the percentage of natural additive used. It means that for the same fire temperature, the concrete without juice lost 11% of its resistance, while the concrete modified with 10% juice only decreased its compression strength by 5%.