Abstract

Concrete is a material with high compressive strength, but predisposed to shrinkage cracking, rapid cracks propagation, and brittle failures. The incorporation of fibre is an acceptable solution to reduce these limitations. However, high cost and energy consumption related to man-made fibres have placed natural fibres as an attractive sustainable alternative, especially considering that different natural fibres are industrial waste. Still, natural fibres can produce an important reduction of concrete strength, being this property fundamental for the massive use of concrete. Hence, an essential step to define potential applications of concrete with a natural fibre is to evaluate the effects of that fibre in traditional concrete mechanical properties as compressive and flexural strength. In this way, that evaluation is the first objective of the present book chapter, and, based on those results and fibre properties, to define potential applications of concrete with Eucalyptus globulus bark fibre. In effect, an experimental program was developed in such a way that reduces the results uncertainties and increases the power of decision regarding the percentage and fibre conditions of the samples. In addition, a comparison of mechanical properties of natural fibres, and their concrete applications, is included as well. The results indicate that, unlike other natural fibres, the traditional mechanical properties have a slight reduction and acceptable workability. This fact is more evident in the samples with 0.50% fibre with respect to the weight of cement. Bases on these results, and the use of other fibres in concrete, is possible to conclude that incorporating Eucalyptus globulus bark fibres emerges as an eco-friendly building alternative for microcracking control and improving concrete ductility