Natural Fiber Reinforced Concrete: Bibliometric and Network Analyses to Delineate the Current Status and Future Pathways

Natural fibers are being increasingly used in concrete to enhance various mechanical properties and to address sustainability challenges. This study systematically reviews 158 research articles published in the last two decades (2000 to 2021) in the domain of natural fiber reinforced concrete. Bibliometric analysis reveals a drastic rise in the number of studies since 2015. It also reveals the important journals, prolific authors, and popularly used keywords, which created an intellectual pattern of the field. Network analysis of authors, keywords, and articles (bibliometrically coupled and co-cited) unravels various foundational and emerging themes of research in this domain. Various natural fibers like basalt, sisal, flax, jute, hemp, etc., have been used individually or in combination with others to improve the tensile, flexural, compressive, impact resistance, and thermal properties. While basalt distantly followed by sisal are two widely used natural fibers in concrete, in recent years, synthetic fiber polypropylene has been used along with natural fibers to get synergistic benefit. This review summarizes the research trends in the area of natural fiber reinforced concrete and also creates an intellectual map of the domain, which will be helpful for the researchers working in this field.

Automated summary

Natural fibers are increasingly used in concrete to improve mechanical properties and address sustainability challenges. This study reviews 158 research articles published in the past two decades on natural fiber reinforced concrete, revealing the trends and intellectual patterns in this field. Various natural fibers, such as basalt and sisal, are used to enhance the tensile, flexural, compressive, impact resistance, and thermal properties of concrete. The study also highlights the combination of synthetic and natural fibers for synergistic benefits.