Experimental investigation of mechanical properties of roller compacted concrete pavement (RCCP) reinforced with date palm fibres

The mechanical properties of roller compacted concrete pavement (RCCP), reinforced with date palm fibres, were investigated for the first time in this study. Date palm fibres extracted from the trunk of date palm trees located southeast of Iran (Yazd), cut into 20 mm and chemically treated were used. After curing for 28 days, cylindrical specimens were conducted to tests such as compressive strength and splitting tensile strength, while flexural strength and toughness index tests were carried out on prismatic specimens using the four-point flexure method. The results of the conducted tests indicated that the maximum flexural strength and splitting tensile strength were increased by 11.68% and 16.83%, respectively in the specimens containing 500 g/m3 of date palm fibres. Moreover, adding 750 g/m3 of date palm fibres resulted in a maximum toughness index of 1.188 among the specimens, which was a remarkable increase over the control specimen.