Effectiveness of the surface modified jute fibre as fibre reinforcement in controlling the physical and mechanical properties of concrete paver blocks

Concrete reinforced with natural fibres is considered to be an effective scheme nowadays to fulfill the global demand for sustainable infrastructures development. The present article investigates the salient features of concrete paver blocks fabricated using mild alkali, dilute polymer emulsion, and tannin modified natural jute fibre as fibre reinforcement. Initially, the chopped jute fibres (3-5 mm) were modified using sodium hydroxide, dilute carboxylated styrene butadiene, and tannin, followed by fabricating and characterizing the concrete paver blocks. Analyzing the physico-mechanical properties, it is demonstrated that the paver blocks containing 1 wt% modified jute fibre (with respect to weight of cement) show 30%, 49% and 166% higher compressive strength, flexural strength, and flexural toughness, respectively, as compared to that of the reference blocks. Finally, based on the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and microstructure analysis, the compatibility of reinforcing fibre with matrix phases was established. The use of modified chopped jute fibre as fibre reinforcement is found to be very effective to improve the mechanical properties and the long-lasting-life of paver blocks that may lead to minimizing the maintenance cost as well.