EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF LIGHT WEIGHT FERROCEMENT

Abstract

Ferrocement is generally understood to be a composite material consisting of steel wire meshes embedded in a matrix of cement-sand mortar. Ferrocement is currently used in buildings for both non-structural purposes and structural purposes. It is used for door and window shutters, for shelves, slabs, etc. It is used for structural purposes in the form of lintels, sunshades, roofing elements such as folded plates, box girders, shells, domes and as lost formwork for beams. It is even being used for load bearing purposes in walls and columns and as sandwich wall panel elements. Light weight ferrocement is considered to be a material made up of cement mortar (cement and saw dust or cement, saw dust and sand) and layers of steel wire meshes embedded in the mortar. It can be used where the weight of the structural component is to be reduced viz. Light weight partition walls, false ceilings, roofing tiles etc. The purpose of this work is to experimentally test light weight ferrocement in axial compression and in flexure, to discuss and make comparison of theoretical and experimental results of different parameters viz. Confined axial load in compression; central deflection, ultimate and first crack load, crack width at ultimate load in flexure.