Published Paper Details:

: Steel is still the reinforcement of choice in most concrete work, mainly because it is strong and behaves predictably, but rising steel prices and ongoing corrosion problems have pushed researchers to look elsewhere. This study looks at jute, a cheap, renewable fibre that is widely available in India, as a way to cut down on steel use without giving up too much performance. Jute Fibre Reinforced Concrete (JFRC) was prepared with fibre contents of 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% by weight, and cube specimens were tested for compressive and split tensile strength at 7, 14 and 28 days to find the fibre content that works best. Jute Fibre Reinforced Polymer (JFRP) bars, made from treated jute fibre, binding wire and an epoxy resin coating, were then cast into beam specimens as a partial substitute for conventional steel bars, and their flexural behaviour was compared against beams reinforced entirely with steel. Across every age tested, 0.50% jute fibre gave the best compressive and split tensile results, with the 28-day compressive strength going up by close to 19% over the plain concrete control, while 0.75% fibre content actually performed worse than the control, most likely because the fibres were not dispersing properly at that dosage. Beams cast with 0.50% jute fibre concrete and 50% steel + 50% JFRP bar reinforcement reached a flexural strength of 17.83 MPa, recovering most of the capacity lost when half the steel was swapped out for jute bars. Overall, the results suggest that jute fibre reinforced concrete combined with JFRP bars is a workable, low-cost way to reduce dependence on steel in reinforced concrete members, though the trade-off in stiffness and long-term durability still needs closer study before it can be used in structural applications.