Evaluation of the effects of coconut fiber and microcellulose crystalline on the properties of cementitious mortars

Abstract

The cementitious materials are the most used worldwide, in civil construction. Faced with this, research is needed to improve both its mechanical performance and its sustainable development. An alternative that seeks these improvements is the addition of materials of vegetable origin, such as coconut fiber and microcel-lulose crystalline. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the influence of additions of coconut fiber (CF) and microcellulose crystalline (MCC) on the physical and mechanical properties of ce-mentitious mortars. For a better delineation of the research, it was divided into three phases: characterization of the materials; analysis of mortars with additions of CF and mortars with MCC additions; analysis of mor-tars with additions of CF and MCC simultaneously. The following tests were performed: consistency index, compressive strength, flexural tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, water absorption, void index, specific mass, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that the incorporations of CF and MCC in contents above 0.2CF and 0.3MCC significantly improve the per-formance of mortars in terms of tensile strength in flexion, however do not contribute positively to the other mechanical properties of mortars, but without significant damage to its use. Studies of mortars with long-term CF and MCC are recommended to verify if mechanical properties undergo significant influences with age.