Mechanical Properties of Building Mortar Containing Pumice and Coconut-Fiber

Coconut-fiber is a natural fiber extracted from the outer shell of the coconut fruit. In this study, the length of the coconut-fiber varies from 0.3 to 0.8 mm, but the average length range from 10 to 30 mm is used in mortar mixtures. The purpose of this work was to study the mechanical properties of building mortar with varying contents of coconut-fiber and pumice. The Russian standard GOST 30744-2001 and absolute volume method were used to determine the compositions of the mortar. In addition, the compressive strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity of the mortar-specimens were determined. The results of this study show that due to the different diameter and length property of the coconut-fiber and in combination with the large surface area of pumice, the workability of the mortar mixture was decreased with an increase in the content of coconut-fiber and pumice. Furthermore, by increasing the content of these materials, both the compressive and flexural strength of tested mortar samples were decreased, but only to increase the ratio of compressive to flexural strength of these samples. In the future research, superplasticizers can be used to improve the flow characteristics of this mortar with high contents of coconutfiber and pumice.