Mechanical Properties of Layered Steel Fiber and Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete

To explore a new structure form of fiber reinforced concrete, namely, the layered steel fiber and layered hybrid fiber reinforced concrete （LSFRC and LHFRC）, the mechanical properties of LSFRC and LHFRC, such as compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, fatigue and durability were focused on. The experimental results show that LSFRC and LHFRC can improve the flexural strength of concrete by 20%-50%. In the aspect of improving the flexural strength of concrete, adulterant rate has more obvious effect than length/diameter ratio. Double logarithmic fatigue equation considered liveability was founded. The impermeability of LHFRC is superior to LSFRC and plain concrete （C）. However, the porosity of LHFRC is lower than LSFRC and C. The shrinkage of LHFRC at every age is obviously lower than C. The antifreeze durability of LHFRC is also better than C.

Mechanical properties and damage evolution characteristics of waste tire steel fiber-modified cemented paste backfill

During the process of constructional backfill mining,the cemented paste backfill(CPB)typically exhibits a high degree of brittleness and limited resistance to failure.In this study,the mechanical and damage evolution characteristics of waste tire steel fiber(WTSF)-modified CPB were studied through uniaxial compression tests,acoustic emission(AE)tests,and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The results showed that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)decreased when the WTSF content was 0.5%,1%,and 1.5%.When the WTSF content reached 1%,the UCS of the modified CPB exhibited a minimal decrease(0.37 MPa)compared to that without WTSF.When the WTSF content was 0.5%,1%,and 1.5%,peak strain of the WTSF-modified CPB increased by 18%,31.33%,and 81.33%,while the elastic modulus decreased by 21.31%,26.21%,and 45.42%,respectively.The addition of WTSF enhances the activity of AE events in the modified CPB,resulting in a slower progression of the entire failure process.After the failure,the modified CPB retained a certain level of load-bearing capacity.Generally,the failure of the CPB was dominated by tensile cracks.After the addition of WTSF,a gradual increase in the proportion of tensile cracks was observed upon loading the modified CPB sample to the pore compaction stage.The three-dimensional localization of AE events showed that the WTSF-modified CPB underwent progressive damage during the loading,and the samples still showed good integrity after failure.Additionally,the response relationship between energy evolution and damage development of WTSF-modified CPB during uniaxial compression was analyzed,and the damage constitutive model of CPB samples with different WTSF contents was constructed.This study provides a theoretical basis for the enhancement of CPB modified by adding WTSF,serving as a valuable reference for the design of CPB constructional backfill.

Dynamic Compression Behavior of Ultra-high Performance Cement-based Composite with Hybrid Steel Fiber Reinforcements

Ultra-high performance cement-based composites (UHPCC) is promising in construction of concrete structures that suffer impact and explosive loads.In this study,a reference UHPCC mixture with no fiber reinforcement and four mixtures with a single type of fiber reinforcement or hybrid fiber reinforcements of straight smooth and end hook type of steel fibers were prepared.Split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was performed to investigate the dynamic compression behavior of UHPCC and X-CT test and 3D reconstruction technology were used to indicate the failure process of UHPCC under impact loading.Results show that UHPCC with 1% straight smooth fiber and 2% end hook fiber reinforcements demonstrated the best static and dynamic mechanical properties.When the hybrid steel fiber reinforcements are added in the concrete,it may need more impact energy to break the matrix and to pull out the fiber reinforcements,thus,the mixture with hybrid steel fiber reinforcements demonstrates excellent dynamic compressive performance.

Microstructural evolution and strengthening mechanism of aligned steel fiber cement-based tail backfills exposed to electromagnetic induction

Cemented tailings backfill(CTB)not only boosts mining safety and cuts surface environmental pollution but also recovers ores previously retained as pillars,thereby improving resource utilization.The use of alternative reinforcing products,such as steel fiber(SF),has continuously strengthened CTB into SFCTB.This approach prevents strength decreases over time and reinforces its long-term durability,especially when mining ore in adjacent underground stopes.In this study,various microstructure and strength tests were performed on SFCTB,considering steel fiber ratio and electromagnetic induction strength effects.Lab findings show that combining steel fibers and their distribution dominantly influences the improvement of the fill’s strength.Fill’s strength rises by fiber insertion and has an evident correlation with fiber insertion and magnetic induction strength.When magnetic induction strength is 3×10^(-4) T,peak uniaxial compressive stress reaches 5.73 MPa for a fiber ratio of 2.0vol%.The cracks’expansion mainly started from the specimen’s upper part,which steadily expanded downward by increasing the load until damage occurred.The doping of steel fiber and its directional distribution delayed crack development.When the doping of steel fiber was 2.0vol%,SFCTBs showed excellent ductility characteristics.The energy required for fills to reach destruction increases when steel-fiber insertion and magnetic induction strength increase.This study provides notional references for steel fibers as underground filling additives to enhance the fill’s durability in the course of mining operations.

Effect of Shrinkage Reducing Agent and Steel Fiber on the Fluidity and Cracking Performance of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Due to the low water-cement ratio of ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC),fluidity and shrinkage cracking are key aspects determining the performance and durability of this type of concrete.In this study,the effects of different types of cementitious materials,chemical shrinkage-reducing agents(SRA)and steel fiber(SF)were assessed.Compared with M2-UHPC and M3-UHPC,M1-UHPC was found to have better fluidity and shrinkage cracking performance.Moreover,different SRA incorporation methods,dosage and different SF types and aspect ratios were implemented.The incorporation of SRA and SF led to a decrease in the fluidity of UHPC.SRA internal content of 1%(NSRA-1%),SRA external content of 1%(WSRA-1%),STS-0.22 and STE-0.7 decreased the fluidity of UHPC by 3.3%,8.3%,9.2%and 25%,respectively.However,SRA and SF improved the UHPC shrinkage cracking performance.NSRA-1%and STE-0.7 reduced the shrinkage value of UHPC by 40%and 60%,respectively,and increased the crack resistance by 338%and 175%,respectively.In addition,the addition of SF was observed to make the microstructure of UHPC more compact,and the compressive strength and flexural strength of 28 d were increased by 26.9%and 19.9%,respectively.

Fatigue behavior of basalt-aramid and basalt-carbon hybrid fiber reinforced polymer sheets

In order to study the fatigue failure mode and fatigue life laws of basalt-aramid and basalt-carbon hybrid fiber reinforced polymer （ FRP ） sheets, fatigue experiments are carried out, considering two hybrid ratios of 1 ： 1 and 2：1 under different stress levels from 0.6 to 0.95. The results show that fractures occur first in carbon fibers or aramid fibers for the specimens with hybrid ratio of 1： 1, namely B1A1 and B1C1, while a fracture occurs first in basalt fibers for the specimens with a hybrid ratio of 2： 1, namely B2A1 and B2C1. The fatigue lives of the hybrid FRP sheets increase with the improvement of the content of carbon fibers or aramid fibers, and the influence of the carbon fibers content improvement to fatigue life is more significant. The fatigue performance of B2A1 is relatively worse, while the fatigue performance of B1C1 and B2C1 is relatively better. Finally, a new fatigue stiffness degradation model with dual variables and double inflection points is presented, which is applicable to both hybrid and normal FRP sheets.

Mechanical and Microstructural Analysis of Waste Ceramic Optimal Concrete Reinforced by Hybrid Fibers Materials: A Comprehensive Study

Combining different types of fibers inside a concrete mixture was revealed to improve the strength properties of cementitious matrices by monitoring crack initiation and propagation.The contribution of hybrid fibers needs to be thoroughly investigated,considering various parameters such as fibers type and content.The present study aims to carry out some mechanical and microstructural characteristics of Waste Ceramic Optimal Concrete(WOC)reinforced by hybrid fibers.Reinforcement materials consist of three dif­ferent fiber types:hook-ended steel fiber(HK),crimped steel fiber(CR)and polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)fibers and the effect of their addition on the waste ceramic composites’mechanical behaviour.Furthermore,a micro­structural analysis was carried out to understand the waste ceramic matrix composition and its bonding to hybrid fibers.Results showed that the ad­dition of hybrid fibers improved the strength characteristics of the ceramic waste composites.For instance,the existence of PVA-CR increased the tensile and flexural strength of the waste ceramic composite by 85.44%and 70.37%,respectively,with respect to the control sample(WOC).As well as hybrid fiber exhibits improved morphological properties as a result of in­creased pore filling with dense and compact structure,as well as increased C-H crystals and denser structure in pastes as a result of the incorporation of hybrid fibers into the concrete mix.The present experimental research shows the choice of using steel fiber with PVA as a reinforcement material.The idea of adding hybrid fiber is to prepare the economic,environmental,and technological concrete.Moreover,it offers a possibility for improving concrete’s durability,which is vital.Finally,it was concluded that steel fiber is more durable,and stiffer and provides adequate first crack strength and ultimate strength.In contrast,the PVA fiber is relatively flexible and improves the post-crack zone’s toughness and strain capacity.

Mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol-basalt hybrid fiber engineered cementitious composites with impact of elevated temperatures

In the present study,the mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-basalt hybrid fiber reinforced engineered cementitious composites(ECC)after exposure to elevated temperatures were experimentally investigated.Five temperatures of 20,50,100,200 and 400℃ were set to evaluate the residual compressive,tensile and flexural behaviors of hybrid and mono fiber ECC.It was shown that partial replacement of PVA fibers with basalt fibers endowed ECC with improved residual compressive toughness,compared to brittle failure of mono fiber ECC heated to 400℃.The tension tests indicated that the presence of basalt fibers benefited the tensile strength up to 200℃,and delayed the sharp reduction of strength to 400℃.Under flexural load,the peak deflections corresponding to flexural strengths of hybrid fiber ECC were found to be less vulnerable ranging from 20 to 100℃.Further,the scanning electron microscopy(SEM)results uncovered that the rupture of basalt fiber at moderate temperature and its pullout mechanism at high temperature was responsible for the mechanical evolution of hybrid fiber ECC.This work develops a better understanding of elevated temperature and basalt fiber impact on the residual mechanical properties and further provides guideline for tailoring ECC for improved fire resistance.

Mechanical Properties of Layered Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete

To improve the mechanical properties of concrete,Layered Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete (LHFRC) was developed in this paper.Through comparative tests,the effects of layered hybrid fibers on a series of mechanical properties of concrete were discussed.The mechanical properties include compressive strength,tensile strength,flexural strength,compressive stress-strain relationship,flexural toughness and cracking resistance of concrete.The testing results and analysis demonstrate that layered hybrid fibers can significantly improve the flexural strength,toughness and cracking resistance of concrete while the cost of concrete increases slightly.

Bond Behavior between BFRP Bars and Hybrid Fiber Recycled Aggregate Concrete after High Temperature

The aim of this study is to improve the bond performance of basalt fiber reinforced polymer(BFRP)bars and recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)after being exposed to high temperatures.The bond behavior(failure modes,bond strength,bond stress-slip curves)between BFRP bars and hybrid fiber recycled aggregate concrete(HFRAC)after being exposed to temperatures ranging from 20℃up to 500℃was studied by using pull-out tests.The effect of high temperatures on mechanical properties of concrete(compressive strength,splitting tensile strength)and tensile strength of BFRP bars was also investigated.The bond strength decreased as the temperature increased and the drop of bond strength between RAC and BFRP bar was larger than that between HFRAC and BFRP bar.As the temperature rises,the key factor affecting the bond strength was gradually transformed from concrete strength to BFRP bar strength.The relationship between bond stress and slip in the dimensionless bond stress-slip ascending section was established,which was in good agreement with the experimental results.

Chemical reduction-induced fabrication of graphene hybrid fibers for energy-dense wire-shaped supercapacitors

The emerging one-dimensional wire-shaped supercapacitors(SCs)with structural advantages of low mass/volume structural advantages hold great interests in wearable electronic engineering.Although graphene fiber(GF)has full of vigor and tremendous potentiality as promising linear electrode for wire-shaped SCs,simultaneously achieving its facile fabrication process and satisfactory electrochemical performance still remains challenging to date.Herein,two novel types of graphene hybrid fibers,namely ferroferric oxide dots(FODs)@GF and N-doped carbon polyhedrons(NCPs)@GF,have been proposed via a simple and efficient chemical reduction-induced fabrication.Synergistically coupling the electroactive units(FODs and NCPs)with conductive graphene nanosheets endows the fiber-shaped architecture with boosted electrochemical activity,high flexibility and structural integrity.The resultant FODs@GF and NCPs@GF hybrid fibers as linear electrodes both exhibit excellent electrochemical behaviors,including large volumetric specific capacitance,good rate capability,as well as favorable electrochemical kinetics in ionic liquid electrolyte.Based on such two linear electrodes and ionogel electrolyte,a highperformance wire-shaped SC is effectively assembled with ultrahigh volumetric energy density(26.9 mW·cm^(-3)),volumetric power density(4900 mW·cm^(-3))and strong durability over 10,000 cycles under straight/bending states.Furthermore,the assembled wire-shaped SC with excellent flexibility and weavability acts as efficient energy storage device for the application in wearable electronics.

Flexural behavior of hybrid fiber reinforced high performance concrete deep beam

In order to reveal the flexural behavior of hybrid fiber reinforced high-performance concrete deep beam, 16 high-performance concrete deep beams of different fiber volume content have been tested according to the state standards and testing methods. The effects of hybrid fiber on the yield moment and bending bearing capacity of the cross-section have been analyzed, the calculation method for the bending capacity＇ is discussed and the propositional formula are provided as well. Results shoxv that the flexural properties increased obviously when add ≤1.0% of volume content steel fibers and ≤0.11% of volume content polypropylene fibers in to deep beam. The results are useful to the further amendments of fiber reinforced concrete structure technical regulation （CECS 38：2004）.

Flexural Fatigue Behavior of Layered Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete

In order to obtain the fatigue life of layered hybrid fiber reinforced concrete （LHFRC） at different stress levels, flexural fatigue tests were carried out on specimens. The relation between fatigue lives and stress levels was simulated using the two-parameter Weibull distribution. Furthermore, both single- logarithmic and double-logarithmic regressive equations of various reliabilities were derived. It is evident that LHFRC gets the advantage of longer fatigue life over common concrete.

Electrical and Piezoresistive Properties of Steel Fiber Cement-based Composites Aligned by a Magnetic Field

Directionally distributed steel fiber cement-based composites(SFCCs)were prepared by magnetic field(MF)induction technology.The orientation factor of steel fibers in the as-obtained SFCCs was determined.Besides,the electrical resistivity and piezoresistive responses in two directions of aligned steel fiber cement-based composites,i e,parallel and perpendicular to MF,were measured.The effects of several variables,eg,steel fiber content,curing age,humidity,and temperature,on anisotropic electrical property were studied.The cyclic and failure piezoresistive responses in different directions were tested.It is found that the aligned steel fibers in the as-obtained SFCCs have a high orientation factor more than 0.88.Besides,SFCCs with aligned steel fibers exhibit an obvious anisotropic conductivity and piezoelectric sensitivity.The electrical conductivity of SFCCs with aligned steel fibers is less affected by temperature and humidity.At the steel fiber content of 2.5wt%,the piezoelectric sensitivity coefficient of SFCCs in the direction parallel to MF has the highest value of 324.14.In addition,the piezoresistive properties of SFCCs with aligned steel fibers in the direction parallel to MF indicate excellent sensitivity and stability under cyclic loading and monotonic loading.

Characteristics and Formation Mechanism for Stainless Steel Fiber with Periodic Micro-fins

Metal fibers have been widely used in many industrial applications due to their unique advantages. In certain applications, such as catalyst supports or orthopedic implants, a rough surface or tiny outshoots on the surface of metal fibers to increase surface area are needed. However, it has not been concerned about the surface morphologies of metal fiber in the current research of metal fiber manufacturing. In this paper, a special multi-tooth tool composed of a row of triangular tiny teeth is designed. The entire cutting layer of multi-tooth tool bifurcates into several thin cutting layers due to tiny teeth involved in cutting. As a result, several stainless steel fibers with periodic micro-fins are produced simultaneously. Morphology of periodic micro-fins is found to be diverse and can be classified into three categories： unilateral plane, unilateral tapering and bilateral. There are two forming mechanisms for the micro-fins. One is that periodic burrs remained on the free side of cutting layer of a tiny tooth create micro-fins of stainless steel fiber produced by the next neighboring tiny tooth; the other is that the connections between two fibers stuck together come to be micro-fins if the two fibers are finally detached. Influence of cutting conditions on formation of micro-fins is investigated. Experimental results show that cutting depth has no significant effect on micro-fin formation, high cutting speed is conducive to micro-fin formation, and feed should be between 0.12 mm/r and 0.2 mm/r to reliably obtain stainless steel fiber with micro-fins. This research presents a new pattern of stainless steel fiber characterized by periodic micro-fins formed on the edge of fiber and its manufacturing method.

High Temperature Flexural Deformation Properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with Hybrid Fiber Reinforcement

Engineered Cementitious Composites(ECC)is a class of high-performance fiber reinforced composites with ultra-ductility designed based on micromechanics,and it has been developed for increasing application in the construction industry during recent decades.The properties of ECC at room temperature have been tested and studied in depth,however,few studies focus on its performance after high temperature that is one of the worst conditions to ECC.To investigate the change tendency and mechanism for the high temperature flexural properties of hybrid fiber reinforced ECC and the feasibility of calcium carbonate whisker to reduce the cost of ECC materials,polyvinyl alcohol fiber(PVA)reinforced strain hardening cementitious composites(PVA-ECC),steel fiber+PVA fiber reinforced ECC(defined as HyFRECC-A)and steel fiber+PVA fiber+CaCO3 whisker reinforced ECC(defined as HyFRECC-B)subject to room temperature and 200℃,400℃,600℃,800℃elevated temperature exposure were experimentally compared.The results indicate that equally replacing PVA fibers by steel fibers degraded the flexural hardening ability of PVA-ECC at room temperature,while the addition of appropriate amount of CaCO3 whisker improved the flexural strength,toughness and flexural hardening behavior.The elevated temperature posed a significant effect on the flexural strength and toughness of the three types of ECCs.Flexural deflection hardening behavior of the three types of ECCs was eliminated after high temperature exposure.Flexural strength and toughness of PVA-ECC presented an exponential decay along with the increase of temperature.The addition of steel fiber slowed down the decay rate.Although the use of CaCO3 whisker increased the post-temperature flexural strength and toughness of HyFRECC-B,the decay rate was not further decreased.

Mechanical Properties of Phenolic-Resin Composites Reinforced with CF/BF Interlayer Hybrid Fibers

Phenolic-resin composites reinforced with carbon fiber（CF） and basalt fiber（BF） interlayer hybrid fibers plain fabric were fabricated.The tensile strength,compressive strength and interlaminar shear strength of the prepared composites were studied.The results indicated that hybrid fibers reinforced composites possessed the advantages of both CF and BF.When resin content was 35% by volume fraction,the comprehensive mechanical performance of BF/CF reinforced phenolic resin composites reached the optimal values with the warp and weft direction tensile strength,compressive strength and interlayer shear strength being 252 MPa and 487 MPa,105 MPa and 129 MPa,21 MPa and 20 MPa,respectively.The scanning electron microscope（SEM） observations showed that the BF/CF hybrid fibers reinforced composites had better interfacial adhesion.

Electrical Resistance Behavior of Vinylester Composites Filled with Glass-carbon Hybrid Fibers

Vinylester （bismethacryloxy derivative with glass-carbon hybrid fibers （CF-GF） weight fraction of a bisphenol-A type EP resin, VE） composites of 50%, were prepared by the compress molding method. The distribution of carbon fiber in the hybrids was observed by stereomicroscope. The electrical resistance behavior of the composites filled with different carbon fiber （CF） weight contents （0.5% to 20%） was studied. The experimental results show that the electrical resistance behaviors of CF-GF/VE composites are different with those of CF/VE composites because carbon fibers＇ conducting networks are broken by the glass fibers in the CF-GF/VE composites. The carbon fibers distribute uniformly in the networks of glass fibers （GF） like single silk and form the semi-continuous conducting networks. Composite filled with GF-CF hybrid has a higher percolation threshold than that filled with pure CF. At that time, the resistivity of CF-GF/VE composites varies little with the temperature increasing. The temperature coefficient of resistivity in GF-CF/VE composite is less than 317 ppm and the variation of the resistivity after ten thermal cycles from 20℃ to 240 ℃is less than 1.96%.

Sintering behaviors of porous 316L stainless steel fiber felt

Isothermal sintering experiments were performed on the 316 L stainless steel fiber felts with fiber diameters of 8 μm and20 μm. Surface morphologies of the sintered specimens were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and optical microscopy. The results show that the amount of the sintering necks and the relative densities of the fiber felt increase with the increasing of both the sintering temperature and the sintering time. And the activation energies estimated present a decline at high relative densities for both 8 μm and 20 μm fiber felts. Moreover, the sintering densification of the fiber felts is dominated by volume diffusion mechanism at low temperature and relative densities. As more grain boundaries are formed at higher temperature and relative density, grain boundary diffusion will also contribute to the densification of the specimen.

Toughness of Polymer Modified Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete

An experimental investigation is carried out to study the toughness of polymer modified steel fiber reinforced concrete. Volume fraction of steel fibers is varied from 0% to 7% at the interval of 1% by weight of cement. 15% SBR latex polymer was used by weight of cement. Cubes of size 150 × 150 × 150 mm for compressive strength, prism specimens of size 150 mm × 150 mm × 700 mm for flexure strength and, specimen of size 150 × 150 × 150 mm with 16 mm diameter tor steel bar of length 650 mm embedded in concrete cube at the center for bond test were prepared. Various specimens were tested after 28 days of curing. Area under curve (toughness) is measured and mentioned in this work.