EFFECT OF HUMAN HAIR FIBRES ON STRENGTH CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE

Human hair fibres (HHFs) are made of non-degradable matter. These fibres possess high tensile strength and are available in abundance at very low cost. The use of HHFs in concrete structures may increase its capacity to resist tensile stresses which are caused by bending moments. This paper presents a study to investigate the effects of HHFs on concrete strength characteristics. Experiments were conducted on concrete cylinders to measure the compressive strength and split tensile strength while prisms were used to calculate the modulus of rupture. Three percentages of HHFs (one percent, 1.5 percent and two percent by weight of cement) were mixed to prepare the concrete samples. Mixes without HHFs were employed as control mixes. The obtained results indicated that with the addition of 1.5 percent HHFs, concrete compressive and split tensile strengths were increased by twenty-nine percent and fourteen percent, respectively. The same amount of HHFs increased the modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity by twenty-three percent and nine percent, respectively.