Mechanical behavior of flax-lime concrete blocks made of waste flax shives and lime binder reinforced with jute fabric

Due to the increase in production of construction materials, the emission of carbon dioxide levels and the requirement for producing materials with a less environmental footprint is gaining more attention. This paper focuses on the study of a special kind of concrete (without stone aggregates) called flax-lime concrete to decrease amount of environmental footprint via the use of a lime-based binder with a waste material of flax fiber production (i.e. flax shives). Nine flax-lime concrete beam specimens (51 mm. 152 mm x 610 mm) with the same mix proportions were prepared. A layer of jute fabric mesh was also placed at the center of the specimens as a reinforcement. The position and number of layers of the fabric mesh were varied to improve the load capacity and deflection under three-point bending. The physical and mechanical properties (namely: density, load-carrying capacity, failure mode, and load-deflection behavior) of the flax-lime concrete specimens were studied. Overall, the variation in position and number of layers of jute fabric increased the bending capacity and energy absorption in flax-lime concrete blocks. The system can be used in buildings for infilling masonry blocks and filling wall cavities as insulation materials.