Assessing The Effect of Different Fibers On Structural Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world. The single largest limitation of concrete is its weak and brittle nature under tensile stress. To improve this concrete behavior, reinforcement materials that are strong in tension are embedded into the concrete to avoid brittle failure and increase tensile capacity. Besides the traditional methods of embedding continuous aligned reinforcement in anticipated zones of tensile stress, random discrete fibers can be dispersed into the concrete during the mixing procedure to create a composite material called fiber reinforced concrete (FRC). Fibers vary commercially and environmentally so that polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers are relatively expensive and might have higher environmental impact than Portland cement, polypropylene (PP), steel, basalt, and glass. Limited studies compared the effects of different fibers (PVA, PP, basalt, steel, and glass) on the hardened mechanical properties and durability of normal-strength concrete mixtures, and on the behavior of structural members cast with such concrete mixtures. A multi-phase research program has been designed to address the above objectives and the aim of the phase presented in this proposal is to test the performance of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) in the context of the durability and mechanical properties of concrete. The durability of a concrete is defined as its ability to sustain reliable levels of serviceability and structural integrity in environmental exposure which may be harsh without any major need for repair intervention throughout the design service life. Conventional concrete has relatively low tensile capacity and thus is susceptible to cracking. Cracks are considered to be pathways for gases, liquids and deleterious solutes entering the concrete, which lead to the early onset of deterioration processes in the concrete or reinforcing steel. Appropriate inclusion of steel or non-metallic fibers has been proven to increase both the tensile capacity and ductility of FRC. Many researchers have investigated durability enhancement by use of FRC.