Utilization of sheep wool as potential fibrous materials in the production of concrete composites

Proficient and proper management of different types of waste materials is one of the major concerns to ensure a clean environment. The utilization of wastes in the production of concrete has attracted much attention in recent years because of the low-cost of waste materials along with saving a significant place for landfill purposes and also enhance the performance of concrete. In this study, the possibility of sheep wool fibers (SWF) and modified sheep wool fibers (MSWF) in the production of fiber-reinforced concrete was investigated by assessing the mechanical and microstructural properties. Eight concrete mixes containing 0-6% normal wool sheep fibers with a length of 70 mm were made. Further, four concrete mixes with the modified wool sheep fibers of 0-1.5% with the same length were made. The addition of both SWF and MSWF reduced the slump values of fresh concrete. The inclusion of sheep wool fibers to concrete mixes decreased the compressive strength. However, the addition of sheep wool fibers subsequently improved the tensile and flexural strength values of concrete, thereby improving the concrete ductility with higher energy absorption capacity. The microstructural characteristics of sheep wool fiber reinforced concrete were conformed to have good bonding and low voids. The findings of the study revealed that the addition of sheep wool fibers in the production of concrete is viable both technically and environmentally.