Utilizing Different Types of Synthetic Fabrics as a Cement Reinforcement for Concrete Tile Roofing

This study aims to alleviate the problem of concrete deterioration by introducing a material to be used as a cement reinforcement to concrete roof tiles that will decrease its water absorption percentage, without decreasing its flexural tensile strength score. Five sample groups consisting of four experimental and one control group of downgraded (modified size) flat concrete roof tiles were used for experimentation. The experimental groups were reinforced with equal amounts (15 grams) sand optimal volume ratio. Using the p -value method on Kruskal-Wallis H -test (α = 0.01, N = 10, df = 4) in both tests, results show that each sample group distribution had no significant difference among the other groups in terms of both test scores. Despite both p -values (p ≈ 0.081) falling to the null hypothesis non-rejection region of p ≥ 0.01, it may still be observed that all experimental groups scored lower flexural tensile strength and water absorption percentage scores. The results showed the potential of adding nylon to reduce the water absorption of concrete. Nylon-added samples have the least mean percentage of water absorbed and mean flexural tensile strength score while the control group had the highest mean scores on both tests. Consequently, adding synthetic fabrics lessened water absorption and flexural tensile strength scores. It is recommended to consider other properties under the Roofing Tile Association of Australia (RTAA) and to explore if increasing the sample size will show significant differences in the scores across all sample groups.