Inuence of Coconut Fibres and Lime on the Properties of Soil-Cement Mortar

Abstract

Stabilisation of earth-based materials continues to gain attention among researchers in the field of construction. This study investigates the influence of coconut fibres and lime on the properties of soil-cement mortar. Fibres of 0.2-0.8%; the lime of 0-15%; cement of 5% by weight of soil were used and tested for density, water absorption, compressive strength, tensile strength and SEM/EDS. There were improved density, water-resistance and erosion of the specimen. The optimum strength was recorded at 0.2% fibre and 5% lime addition of the specimen. The study concludes that coconut fibres and lime positively influences soil-cement mortar properties for construction application.