MOHAMED OMER ELSHIEKH OMER

24 OCTOBER 1981

PROPERTIES OF MORTAR WITH PALM OIL EMPTY

FRUIT BUNCH FIBRE

2009-2010

✔

B 0759129 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohd. Sam

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA PSZ 19:16 (Pind. 1/07)

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i

PROPERTIES OF MORTAR WITH

PALM OIL EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH FIBRE

MOHAMED OMER ELSHIEKH OMER

A project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the award of the degree of

Master of Engineering (Civil-Structure)

Faculty of Civil Engineering

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

November 2009

ii

I declare that this project report entitled “PROPERTIES OF MORTAR WITH PALM

OIL EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH FIBRE” is the result of my own research except as

cited in the references. The project report has not been accepted for any degree and is

not concurrently submitted in candidature of any other degree.

Signature :

Name : MOHAMED OMER ELSHIEKH OMER

Date : 20 November 2009

iii

This work is dedicated to my beloved parents,

my family, my friends and all my

teachers who helped me to become who I’m.

iv

ABSTRACT

The main disadvantage of mortar is the weakness of tension zone. To solve

this problem, short fibres can be added to mortar to improve the tensile properties.

Fibres divided mainly into two categories synthetic and natural. Palm oil fibre one of

the natural fibres showed good ability to withstand the tensile stress inside the mortar

and it considered as a waste material after oil extraction from palm oil fruit bunch.

Objectives of this study are to study the effect of adding palm oil fibre with different

percentage to mortar specimens under bending and compressive stress beside study

the effect of curing condition to fibre reinforced mortar specimens. The experimental

program was included compression test by using cube specimens (70x70x70 mm)

and plates (600x800x50 mm). Second type of tests was flexure test by using prism

specimens (40x160x40 mm) and plates (600x800x50 mm). The data collected at

different ages of 7, 28 and 56 days. For curing condition, all specimens were cured

by two methods wet curing and dry air curing. The results form the tests showed that

incorporating palm oil fibre to the mortar improved the tensile strength properties

besides changing the failure of the specimens from brittle to ductile mode. For prism

specimens the flexural strength increased at 7 days for wet and dry curing but for 28

days the strength decreased slightly. For plates, incorporating palm oil fibre

improved the flexural resistance at 7, 28 and 56 days in wet curing while for dry

curing this improvement observed only at 7 days. For compression test, the inclusion

of palm oil fibre to mortar cubes and plates decreased the compressive strength to the

range between 18% and 50% for wet curing and between 25% and 33% for dry

curing. In general, the addition of palm oil fibre to the mortar plate or cube improved

the flexural strength but did not contribute significantly in compressive strength.

v

ABSTRAK

Kelemahan utama mortar ialah kekuatan tegangannya yang rendah. Bagi

mengatasi masalah tersebut gentian pendek boleh dicampurkan dalam mortar untuk

meningkatkan kekuatan tegangannya. Gentian boleh dibahagikan kepada dua

kategori iaitu sintetik dan semulajadi. Gentian tandan kelapa sawit merupakan salah

satu gentian semulajadi yang menunjukkan kebolehan untuk menanggung tegasan

tegangan dalam mortar dan ia dikategorikan sebagai bahan buangan selepas proses

pengasingan minyak dari tandan kelapa sawit. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk

mengkaji kesan penggunaan gentian tandan kelapa sawit dengan peratusan yang

berbeza dalam campuran mortar terhadap kekuatan lenturan dan mampatan dengan

menggunakan pengawetan basah dan kering. Ujikaji yang dijalankan termasuklah

ujian kekuatan mampatan menggunakan sampel kiub (70x70x70 mm) dan plat

(600x800x50 mm) serta ujian lenturan menggunakan sampel prisma (40x160x40

mm) dan plat (600x800x50 mm). Sampel diuji pada umur 7, 28, dan 56 hari.

Keputusan dari ujikaji menunjukkan penambahan gentian dalam mortar

meningkatkan kekuatan tegangan disamping menjadikan sampel tidak gagal dalam

bentuk yang rapuh. Bagi kekuatan lenturan prisma, kekuatan meningkat pada umur 7

hari bagi kedua-dua kaedah pengawetan tetapi menurun pada umur 28 hari. Bagi

sampel plat penggunaan gentian dapat meningkatkan kekuatan lenturan pada semua

peringkat umur bagi pengawetan basah tetapi bagi pengawetan kering peningkatan

kekuatan hanya pada umur 7 hari. Bagi ujian mampatan, didapati penggunaan

gentian dalam mortar bagi kiub dan plat telah mengurangkan kekuatan mampatan

diantara 18% hingga 50% untuk pengawetan basah dan 25% hingga 33% bagi

pengawetan kering. Secara umumnya penambahan gentian tandan kelapa sawit

dalam mortar dapat meningkatkan kekuatan lenturan tetapi tidak dalam kekuatan

mampatan.

vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

DECLARATION ii

DEDICATION iii

ABSTRACT iv

ABSTRAK v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF TABLES x

LIST OF FIGURES xi

LIST OF SYMBOLS xiv

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 General 1

1.2 Properties of palm oil fibre 2

1.3 Usage of oil palm fibres in cementitious composites 5

1.4 Problem statement 7

1.5 Aim and objective 8

1.1. 1.6 Importance of study 9

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 10

2.1 2.1 Matrix characteristics 10

vii

2.2 Properties of fresh natural fibre reinforced concrete /

mortar 13

2.2.1 Preparation of the mix 13

2.2.2 Balling effect 14

2.2.3 Workability 15

2.2 2.3 Properties of hardened natural fibre reinforced concrete

/ mortar 16

2.3.1 Compressive strength 16

2.3.2 Flexural strength 18

2.3.3 Tensile strength 22

2.3.4 Impact strength 23

2.3.5 Durability of natural fibre in mortar 24

2.3.5.1 Structure of fibre 24

2.3.5.2 Principle factors of fibre deterioration 25

2.3.5.3 2.3.5.3 How to reduce the deterioration of natural

fibre 27

3 RESERCH METHODOLOGY 28

3.1 Introduction 28

3.2 Separation of fibre 30

3.3 Microstructure of palm oil empty fruit bunch fibre 30

3.4 Mortar ingredients 33

3.4.1 Fine aggregate 33

3.4.1.1 Dry sieve analysis for fine aggregate 34

3.4.2 Water 36

3.4.3 Cement 36

viii

3.4.4 Superplasticizer 37

3.5 Mix design 39

3.6 Types of samples and tests 40

3.7 Types of curing 40

3.8 Specimens orientations 42

3.9 Mixing procedures 46

3.10 Methods of testing mortar 46

3.10.1 Flexural strength for prism 46

3.10.2 Compressive strength for cubes 48

3.10.3 Flexure test of plates 50

3.10.4 Compression test for plate 51

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 52

4.1 Properties of material 52

4.1.1 Density of fine aggregate 52

4.1.2 Sieve analysis of fine aggregate 53

4.1.3 Effect of superplasticizer 55

4.2 Trail mix 57

4.2.1 Analysis and interpretation of trail mix results 58

4.3 Experimental results 61

4.3.1 Flexure test of prism specimens 62

4.3.2 Flexure test of plate specimens 67

4.3.3 Compression test for cubes specimens 73

4.3.4 Compression test of plate specimens 78

ix

4.4 Mode of failure 84

4.5 Distribution, pull out and rapture of fibre 86

4.6 Specification of fibre 90

4.6.1 Moisture content of fibre 90

4.6.2 Fibre surface 90

5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 95

5.1 Conclusion 95

5.2 Recommendation 97

REFERENCES 98

x

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO. TITLE PAGE

1.1 Morphological properties of palm oil fibre 2

1.2 Chemical compositions of palm oil components 3

2.1 Factors affecting properties of natural fibre reinforced

concrete

12

3.1 Chemical Composition of Ordinary Portland Cement from

Holcim (M) Sdn. Bhd.

36

3.2 The percentage of mortar ingredients 39

4.1 Sieve sizes and percentage of passing 53

4.2 Volume and weight of trail mixes components 57

4.3 Compressive strength and modulus of rapture for trail mix

design

59

4.4 Volume and weight of mix components 61

4.5 Flexure test result for prisms (control) 63

4.6 Flexure test result for prisms (Fibre) 64

4.7 Flexure test result for plate (control) 68

4.8 Flexure test result for plate (fibre) 69

4.9 Compression test result for cubes (control) 74

4.10 Compression test result for cubes (fibre) 75

4.11 Compression test result for plates (control) 79

4.12 Compression test result for plates (fibre) 80

xi

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE NO. TITLE PAGE

1.1 Palm oil fruit bunch 3

1.2 Empty fruit bunches in oil mill 4

1.3 Palm oil fibre after extracting from empty fruit bunch 4

1.4 Main fibre characteristics of interest in fibre reinforced

cement composites

6

2.1 Cracks in fibre composite bridge by fibre 12

3.1 Flow chart research methodologies 29

3.2 Structure of an elementary natural fibre (cell) 32

3.3 Fine aggregate under drying process 34

3.4 Cement bag (front and back) 37

3.5 The effect of a water reducing admixture on the

dispersion of cement particles

38

3.6 Flocculating cement particles trapping the mix water 39

3.7 Plate sample under wet curing process (wetting hessian) 41

3.8 Plate specimen under dry air curing process 41

3.9 Specimens orientation of trial mix 42

3.10 Specimens orientation of cubes compression test 43

3.11 Specimens orientation of prisms flexural test 44

xii

3.12 Specimens orientation of plates flexural & compression test 45

3.13 Mortar prism during flexure test 48

3.14 Mortar cube during compression test 49

3.15 loading arrangement for flexure test for plate 50

4.1 Sieve analysis graph for fine aggregate 54

4.2 Different size of sieve used to analyze the fine aggregate 54

4.3 Superplasticizer (RHEOBUILD 1000M) 55

4.4 Mortar prism specimens 56

4.5 Mortar cubes specimens 56

4.6 Compressive strength after 7 days 60

4.7 Modulus of rapture after 7 days 60

4.8 Modulus of rapture for wet curing (prisms) 65

4.9 Modulus of rapture for dry curing (prisms) 65

4.10 Modulus of rapture for control prisms under wet and dry

curing

66

4.11 Modulus of rapture for fibre reinforced mortar prisms under

wet and dry curing

66

4.12 Bending moment for wet curing (plates) 70

4.13 Bending moment for dry curing (plates) 70

4.14 Bending moment for control plates under wet and dry curing 71

4.15 Bending moment for fibre reinforced mortar plates under

wet and dry curing

71

4.16 Flexure test for plate specimen 72

4.17 Compressive Strength for wet curing (cubes) 76

4.18 Compressive Strength for dry curing (cubes) 76

xiii

4.19 Compressive Strength for control cubes under wet and dry

curing

77

4.20 Compressive Strength for fibre reinforced mortar cubes

under wet and dry curing

77

4.21 Compressive Strength for wet curing (plates) 81

4.22 Compressive Strength for dry curing (plates) 81

4.23 Compressive strength for control plates under wet and dry

curing

82

4.24 Compressive strength for fibre reinforced mortar plates under

wet and dry curing

82

4.25 Compression test for plate 83

4.26 Failure of specimens without fibre 84

4.27 Failure of specimens with fibre 85

4.28 Distribution of fibre 87

4.29 Pull out and fibre rapture 88

4.30 Algae layer 89

4.31 Dry fibre 91

4.32 Wetted fibre 92

4.33 Comparison between dry and wet fibre 93

4.34 Cross section of fibre 94

xiv

LIST OF SYMBOLS

B.M - Bending Moment

BS - British Standard Institute

FFB - Fresh Fruit Bunch

MOR - Modulus Of Rapture

MS - Department of Standards Malaysia

OPC - Ordinary Portland Cement

POEFBF - Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunch Fibre

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 General

The palm oil industry in Malaysia started 80 years ago in a modest way.

Today it is the largest in agricultural plantation sector, exceeding rubber plantation

by more than double in area planted. In terms of hectare, the total area under palm oil

cultivation is over 2.65 million hectares, producing over 8 million tones of oil

annually. The oil consists of only 10% of the total biomass produced in the

plantation. The remainder consists of huge amount of lignocelluloses materials such

as palm oil fronds, trunks and empty fruit bunches. The projection figures of these

residues are as follows:

i) 7.0 million Tones of palm oil trunks.

ii) 26.2 million Tones of palm oil fronds.

iii) 23% of Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) per tone of Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB)

processed in palm oil mill.

Recent report shows that the mesocarp fibre and shell are used as boiler fire

source to produce steam and generate power. Empty fruit bunches are mainly

2

incinerated to produce bunch ash to be distributed back to the field as fertilizer .The

empty fruit fibre (EFB) was identified as the first of the series of standards on palm

oil fibres. The (EFB) has the highest fibre yield and is the only material

commercially utilized for fibre extraction but there are good potentials for the

exploitation of the other two materials (palm oil fronds and trunks). The critical

parameters affecting the quality of the end product of palm oil fibre include the fibre

length, moisture content, oil content and impurities [1].

1.2 Properties of palm oil fibre

The palm oil fibre which is derived from the palm fruits consists of a series of

thin strands and leathery skin which surrounds the kernel and provides reinforcement

for the outer fleshy part of the fruit. The fibres are obtained as waste products after

the palm oil and kernel has been extracted in the oil mills. The fibre length varies

between 10 to 40 mm while the diameter varies from 3- 70 µm [2]. Different

properties of palm oil fibres are shown in Table 1.1 and Table 1.2 while Figures 1.1

to 1.3 show palm oil fruit bunch fibre.

Table 1.1 Morphological properties of palm oil fibre [3].

Properties Empty fruit bunch

fibre

Palm oil frond

fibre

Palm oil trunk

fibre

Diameter of fibre

(µm) 12.50 15.10 20.50

Diameter of

lumen (µm) 7.90 8.20 17.60

Runkel ratio 0.59 0.84 0.26

Area of fibre (µm2) 75.60 126.20 86.70

3

Table 1.2 Chemical compositions of palm oil components [4].

Plant fibre Cellulose

(%)

Hemicelluloses

(%)

Lignin

(%)

Extractives

(%)

Empty fruit bunch

fibre 47.9 17.1 24.9 3.7

Palm oil frond

fibre 42.2 26.4 22.3 3.3

Figure 1.1 Palm oil fruit bunch

4

Figure 1.2 Empty fruit bunches in oil mill

Figure 1.3 Palm oil fibre after extracting from empty fruit bunch

5

1.3 Usage of palm oil fibres in cementitious composites

It is obvious that palm oil fibres have been a target of various studies in

Malaysia as well as throughout the world. It is no surprise that the fibres derived

from various components of the palm tree have not so far found a solid economic

value. Thus, finding useful applications for these materials will surely alleviate

environmental problems related to the disposal of palm oil wastes and produce

materials that could offer a favorable balance of quality, performance and cost [5].

Natural fibre reinforced concrete (including cement paste, mortar and other

cement based matrices) is essentially a special purpose concrete which consist of

small diameter discontinuous, discrete natural fibres of different origin randomly

distributed in a cementitious matrix. The uniform dispersal of fibres in a cementitious

matrix distributes stress and enhances resistance to cracking, impact and shock

loading and also improves ductility for better energy absorption. This new distinct

group of construction materials possesses good acoustic and thermal properties [6].

The use of natural fibres in concrete is relatively recent in spite of the fact that

the concept of fibre reinforcement was recognized more than fifty years ago and now

utilized it has been more traditional than technical. They have long served many

useful purposes but the application of materials technology for the utilization of

natural fibres as the reinforced in concrete has only taken place in comparatively

recent years. In the late 1960s and 1970s, investigations began on the possibility of

using organic fibres of various origins as reinforcement in thin concrete sheets and

other cement-based composites. These investigations soon indicated the possibility

of manufacturing products of natural fibre reinforced concrete [6]. Figure 1.4

describes in more details the most important fibre characteristics of interest in fibre

reinforced cement composite [7].

6

Figure 1.4 Main fibre characteristics of interest in fibre reinforced cement

composites

Fibre

Characteristics

Material Natural organic: wood, sisal, jute ….

Natural mineral: asbestos, rock wool…

Man –Made: Steel, Polymer, glass…..

Density, Surface roughness, Chemical

stability, Fire resistance, non-reactivity with

cement,

Strength, Elastic modulus, Transverse

modulus, Stiffness, Ductility

Length, Diameter

Section

Shape

Circular, elliptical,

square, rectangular...

Physio-

Chemical

Smooth, deformed,

indented, etch, crimped,

coiled, and twisted, with

end paddles, end hooks

Mechanical

Geometrical

7

Natural fibres are available in most developing countries (e.g. Malaysia) and

require only a low degree of industrialization for their processing. In comparison

with an equivalent volume or weight of the most common synthetic reinforcing

fibres, the energy required for their production is small and hence the cost of

fabricating these composites is also low. In addition, the use of a random mixture of

natural fibres in cementitious matrix leads to a technique that requires only a small

number of trained personnel in the construction industry.

There are different technologies to produce fibre reinforced cementitious

material which classified as [8]:

i) Premix process: In this method the fibres are combined with the

cementitious matrix in a mixture. They are treated simply as an extra

ingredient in the most common method of producing a cementitious mix.

However, because of the fibres reduce the workability, only up to about

2% fibres by volume can be added by this way.

ii) Spray up process.

iii) Shotcreting.

iv) Pulp up process: The fibre is dispersed in cement slurry, which is then

dewatered to produce thin sheet materials.

v) Hand lay up: In this method, layers of fibres in the form of mats or

fabrics can be placed in moulds, impregnated with cement slurry, and

then vibrated or compressed, to produce dense materials with very high

fibre contents.

1.4 Problem Statement

A major factor contributing in slow development to make natural fibre( palm

oil fibre) ready or automatic choice as reinforcing medium in cement matrix is the

8

lack of information on the structure and properties of natural fibres, their

compatibility with the various matrices and the properties of composites itself. In

spite of the fact that there are also sufficient researches and practical experience in

the use of natural fibres in cement based matrices and by comparison with synthetic

fibres, natural fibre reinforced mortar have not yet enjoyed the same sort of

development and applications they deserve.

Natural fibres in general have many problems for example the hemicelluloses

inhibit the normal setting and strength development properties of the cement matrix

and decomposition of the fibre is much faster in an alkaline medium than the water

which the pore water of an Ordinary Portland Cement is saturated with alkali ions

[9].

1.5 Aim and objectives

In order to find out part of solution of these problems, there is a need to

explore the interaction between fibres and cement matrix by focusing on different

parameters controlling these relationship which included properties of fibre and

contribution of fibre to resist the bending and compressive stresses. In this research

the fibre was used without previous chemical or physical processing, besides

changing the percentage of it in each mix.

The objectives of this project are:

i) To study the effect of adding (palm oil empty fruit bunch fibre) with

different percentage to the mortar under bending and compressive

stresses.

ii) To study the effect of curing condition to fibre reinforced mortar.

9

iii) To investigate the failure mode of fibre reinforced mortar and the

relationship between failure mode and fibre distribution.

1.6 Importance of the study

Usage of natural fibres in concrete matrices poses a special challenge to

science and technology. Their usage can save energy, conserve scare resources and

protect environment beside alleviating the housing problem and enhancing a

country's infrastructure. Natural fibres have thus a unique irreplaceable role in the

ecological cycle and their natural abundance, plentiful supply, relative cheapness and

swift replenish ability are the strongest arguments to utilize them in the construction

industry [9].

Currently, in developing countries (e.g. Malaysia) and elsewhere there is a

resurgence of interest in natural fibres, this project use palm oil empty fruit bunch

fibre (POEFBF). This has brought about by the energy crisis, a general oversupply

and hence relatively cheap source of fibres which in Malaysia the empty fruit bunch

consider as waste after exploited it, in addition the need to reduce foreign reserve

expenditures on importing other fibres. The need for cheaper building materials and

the need to replace asbestos fibres on health ground have also produced a renewed

interest in the application of vegetable fibres to produce low cost building elements

[10].