PSI - Issue 64

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2023) 000–000

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 1927–1934

SMAR 2024 – 7th International Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures Investigating volume stability Performance of paste with Phragmites Australis (PA) Fibers Rawan Ramadan a *, Adel Elkordi a,b , Elhem Ghorbel c , Hassan Ghanem a , Jamal Khatib a,d a Department of Civil Engineering, Beirut Arab University, P.O. Box 11 - 50 - 20 Riad El Solh 11072809, Beirut, Lebanon b Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria 11 21511, Egypt c Université de Cergy-Pontoise/Paris Seine (CY Cergy Paris Université) d Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, WV1 1LY Abstract Environmental sustainability is a critical concern in the construction industry due to its substantial energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. This study addresses the sustainability of building materials by exploring the volume stability of cementitious system by adding natural fibers, specifically those derived from the Phragmites Australis (PA) plant. Natural fibers exhibit high strength and stiffness, making them suitable for structural applications. In this experimental study, four paste mixes were prepared, incorporating varying percentages (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%) of PA fibers. Testing included drying shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage, and expansion. Results showed a notable reduction in paste shrinkage, with percentages of 12.7%, 19%, and 29% observed at 7 days with the addition of 0.5%, 1%, and 2% PA fibers, respectively, at an elevated temperature of 45°C. These findings suggest the potential for PA fibers to mitigate shrinkage in building materials, thus contributing to the overall environmental sustainability of construction practices. © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers Keywords: Sustainability; PA fiber;Volume stability;Paste; Elevated temperature © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +0961-70098077. E-mail address: r.ramadan@bau.edu.lb

2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers

2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2024.09.261