Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM: RATIONALE AND BACKGROUND

Cement has served a major role in providing people with shelter, roads, building and structures
throughout the years. It is not an uncommon knowledge that cement is the most important construction
material. It is also considered the second most consumed commodity in the world after water.
Infrastructures are consequential for the setup of our civilization. It provides us our shelters,
bridges that connect places, buildings for economic growth et al. Because of this great importance it
has prompt humans to discover better ways to improve foundations for greater endurance and lifespan
of frameworks. Throughout the ages, the knowledge of masonry has improved from knowing the kinds
of woods and nails suited for a specific construction to the improvement of concrete mixture
specifically having fibers as an additive.
On a human timescale, small usages of concrete started millennia ago. Concrete-like materials
were used since 6500 BC by the Nabataea traders or Bedouins who occupied and controlled a series of
oases and developed a small empire in the regions of southern Syria and northern Jordan and since then
it has developed into reinforced cement.
Fibers have been used as reinforcement even long ago. Historically, horsehair was used in mortar
and straw in mudbricks. During the 1900s, asbestos fibers were used in concrete. In the 1950s, the
concept of composite materials came into being and fiber-reinforced concrete was one of the topics of
interest. But later when it was known that a health risk is associated with asbestos people have rushed to
find a replacement for the substance in concrete and other building materials. By the 1960s, steel, glass,
and synthetic fibers such as polypropylene fibers were used in concrete.
Fibers have also been used as an additive to asphalt, concrete, strings, rope and even cable
harnesses. In fact, a study was conducted by Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building that
fiber as an additive allows increasing of concrete compressive strength up to 43.4% and tensile strength
up to 17.5%.
Sansevieria trifasciata (commonly known as Snake Plant) is prominent for its many uses. A study
by NASA found that it is one of the best plants for improving indoor air quality by passively absorbing
toxins such as nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde. Snake Plant is used to make cordage, the leaf is
pounded and the fibers were extracted as use for rope. (Arvigo & Balick, 1998)
Research into new fiber-reinforced concretes still continued, for the reason that the construction
industry is one of the industries responsible for the depletion of large amounts of non-renewable
resources, this activity generates not only millions of tons of mineral wastes but also carbon dioxide gas
emissions. More building materials based on renewable resources such as vegetable or plant fibers are

needed, so introducing Natural Reinforced Concrete. This concrete mixture can be used to mold a
cement brick.
But there are things to consider in forming a cement brick with Natural Reinforced Concrete such
as the kind of fiber and the ratio of its components to the mixture. There are many plants to be regarded
in which to extract fiber, but to be more specific, a research will be conducted to know how a certain
ornamental plant; snake plant can enhance the durability of a cement brick.
Background of the Study
Mixing concrete is one of the fundamental steps in masonry. Concrete can be used to cement
roads, walls and also create cement bricks. Cement bricks are requisite for foundation walls, basement
walls, partition walls, exterior walls, or even cavity wall construction. It may be solid or hollow with
two or three cores for such stretcher block. It is fit to perform its role because Cement bricks are
lightweight thus making it easy to install, fireproof because it is chemically inert and also has a slow
rate of heat transfer, low maintenance, and is durable. Durability can be in two ways; possessing tensile
and compressive strength. Tensile strength is the resistance of a material to breaking under tension, the
pulling force exerted by each end of a string, cable, chain, or similar one-dimensional continuous
object, or by each end of a rod, truss member, or similar three-dimensional object. Compressive
strength is the resistance of a material to breaking under compression, external force that tends to crush
a material, squeezing its particles closer and shortening the dimension in the direction of its action.
The testing of the mechanical behavior of an object under conditions of tension and compression
sometimes is performed to provide basic material property data that is critical for component design and
service. A tensile examination is a method for determining the reaction of materials under axial tensile
loading. The tests are done by fixing the specimen into the test instrument and then applying a force to
the specimen by separating the testing machine crossheads. The crosshead speed can be varied to
control the rate of strain in the test specimen. A compression test is a method for determining the
behavior of materials under a compressive load. Compression tests are conducted by loading the test
specimen between two plates, and then applying a force to the specimen by moving the crossheads
together. During the test, the specimen is compressed, and deformation versus the applied load is
recorded. The result of the tests depends on many factors, such as temperature, relative humidity, curing
of concrete, quality of raw materials, water/cement ratio, coarse/fine aggregate ratio, age of concrete,
and compaction of concrete.
Due to advancement nowadays people use additives on concrete mixture, or create fiber
reinforced concretes to even enhance durability. Fibers include steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers
and natural fibers each of which lend varying properties to the concrete. The percentage of fibers

added to a concrete mix is also a percentage of the total volume of the composite (concrete and fibers),
called as "volume fraction" (Vf), also known as fiber volume ratio. Vf is usually from 0.1 to 3%. The
proportion (l/d) is calculated by dividing fiber length (l) by its diameter (d). Fibers with a non-circular
cross section use an equivalent diameter for the calculation of aspect ratio.

Vf =

vf
vc

Where vf = fiber volume and vc= volume of composite

But because the typical source of fiber is nonrenewable, there should be an alternative material.
This thought lead to the discovery of the fibers extracted from plants as additives or Natural Reinforced
Concrete. These fibers also have the same effect on the concrete with the inorganic sourced fibers but
are cheaper and indigenous.
To prove this, an experiment will be conducted, specifically testing cement bricks reinforced with
Sansevieria trifasciata or snake plant. This plant, which is native to Southern Africa, and can be seen
almost everywhere in the Philippines, is among the most durable plants, well adapted to indoor
conditions. Grown as a rosette of long, upright strap-like leaves with short, thick rhizomes; tolerates
low light, lack of moisture, and hot or cold air; produce fragrant flowers; propagated by leaf cuttings. It
is oblivious as to almost everything except as being a typical ornamental for Filipino houses, so the
study is fitting to learn more about this plant and to increase the options for natural fiber sources.
1.1 Statement of the Problem
The proponents study and conduct experiments about the performance of Sanseviera trifasciata
fiber as reinforcement in concrete in order to provide answer to the problem:
1. Does the fiber obtained from the Snake Plant improve the performance of concrete in terms of
compressive and flexural strength?
1.2 Hypotheses
The mean compressive and flexural strengths of the five test samples, which will be the null
hypothesis for this study, will always be true for all the compressive and flexural strengths of each of
the five groups of samples.
In order to test this hypothesis, the proponents will use the t-test method with a level of
confidence = 95%, and level of significance = 5%.

Computation for the standard deviation of the five groups of samples will also be observed since it is
required for the hypothesis testing.
1.3 Theoretical / Conceptual Framework

1.4 Significance of the Study

A. To the Students
The proposed study serves as their references
B. To the Economy
The proposed study
C. To the Future Researcher
The proposed study will benefits and help the future researcher as their guide. The study can also
open in development of this study.
Objectives
The following are the main objectives of this study:

a. Witness the performance of Sanseviera trifasciata fiber as concrete reinforcement in terms of

compressive strength.
b. Determine the precise proportion of Sanseveria trifasciata and cement mixture that will produce
the highest compressive strength of concrete.
c. Learn about the relationship of Sanseviera trifasciata fiber to the concrete mixture.
d. Conduct a hypothesis testing from the data gathered.
1.5 Scope and Limitations of the Study
This study focuses on determining the optimum proportion of Sansevieria trifasciata fiber and
cement mixture. The study is only limited in using the fibers of Sansevieria trifasciata thus, no other
fibers shall be added to the mixture. Since various composition and mixtures of concrete exist, the study
will focus on the use of cement, sand, water, and Sanseviera trifasciata fibers. In testing the
compressive strength, the proponents will perform three trials for five compositions of the fibers.
Testing the compressive strength would be done with the help of Department of Public Works and
Highways Laboratory testing.
1.6 Definition of Terms
Aggregates a material or structure formed from a loosely compacted mass of fragments or
particles
Cement a binder, a substance used in construction that sets and hardens and can bind other
materials together
Compressive Strength The resistance of a material to loads tending to reduce size.
Compressive Strength Test Mechanical test measuring the maximum amount of compressive
load a material can take before breaking
Concrete A material made from the mixture of cement, sand, water, and aggregates.
Fiber Can be classified as natural, plant, synthetic, etc. For this case study, plant fiber was used.
Portland Cement most common type of cement in general use around the world, used as a
basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and most non-specialty grout

 Sanseviera A genus of about 70 species of flowering plants, native to Africa, Madagascar, and
Southern Asia.
Sanseviera trifasciata Also known as Snake Plant. Primary component of this case study. A
plant known to contain strong fibers.
Retting A process employing the action of microorganisms and moisture on plants to dissolve
or rot away much of the cellular tissues and pectins surrounding bast-fiber bundles.

Water Retting Most widely practiced method of retting. Plant is submerged in water for two to
four weeks.