A Study of the Durability of Concrete Reinforced with Hemp Fibers Exposed to External Sulfatic Attack

The purpose of this paper is to study the durability of concrete reinforced with hemp fibers in the face of external Sulfatic attack. For this purpose, five types of concrete were formulated; three types of concrete reinforced with hemp fibers (HC-0.25, HC-0.5, and HC-1) at 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1 % of hemp fibers in volume, respectively. And two control concretes, being ordinary concrete (OC) and polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete (PC). To assess the sulfatic attacks, the described concrete types underwent two aging protocols: 1) a complete immersion in 12.5 % Sodium Sulfate (Na₂SO₄) solution, and 2) an accelerated aging protocol consisting of immersion/drying in the same sulfate solution at a temperature of 60°C. The results show that concrete reinforced with 0.25 % of hemp fibers is the optimal amount compared to control concretes in terms of physico-mechanical performance and durability under sulfate attack. This number of fibers could enable the production of green and durable structural concretes based on untreated hemp fibers.