Experimental investigation of nano silica concrete in association with banana fibre reinforcement

This study investigates the combined effect of deploying Nano-Silica (NS) and banana fibers (BF) on mechanical properties of hardened concrete. NS has been used as the partial replacement of cement by 0, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 and 4.5% by weight, and BF has used as volume substitution by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6%. In our present investigation, banana fibres having 40mm length were used. Compressive strength and split tensile strengthare determinedby using various combinations of NS and BF. Nano-Silica, because of its small particle size, can modify the properties by altering the micro-structure of the concrete. A notable improvement is being noticed in the strength properties of concrete when NS is usedby virtue of its high pozzolanic activity confirming the evolution of higher amount of C–S–H gel in the existence of nano-particles. The addition of NS to the concrete will improve the properties strength as well as durability to a great extent. On the other hand, the addition of banana fibres to the concrete results in the reduction of permeability and the improvement in the crack resistance eventually.