Comparative impact behaviours of ultra high performance concrete columns reinforced with polypropylene vs steel fibres

Polypropylene(PP) fibres have primarily used to control shrinkage cracks or mitigate explosive spalling in concrete structures exposed to fire or subjected to impact/blast loads, with limited investigations on capacity improvement. This study unveils the possibility of using PP micro-fibres to improve the impact behaviour of fibre-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete(FRUHPC) columns. Results show that the addition of fibres significantly improves the impact behaviour of FRUHPC columns by shifting the failure mechanism from brittle shear to favourable flexural failure. The addition of steel or PP fibres affected the impact responses differently. Steel fibres considerably increased the peak impact force(up to 18%) while PP micro-fibres slightly increased the peak(3%-4%). FRUHPC significantly reduced the maximum midheight displacement by up to 30%(under 20°impact) and substantially improved the displacement recovery by up to 100%(under 20° impact). FRUHPC with steel fibres significantly improved the energy absorption while those with PP micro-fibres reduced the energy absorption, which is different from the effect of PP-macro fibre reported in the literature. The optimal fibre content for micro-PP fibres is 1% due to its minimal fibre usage and low peak and residual displacement. This study highlights the potential of FRUHPC as a promising material for impact-resistant structures by creating a more favourable flexural failure mechanism, enhancing ductility and toughness under impact loading, and advancing the understanding of the role of fibres in structural performance.

Effect of Polypropylene Fibers on the Long-term Tensile Strength of Concrete

The influence of low volume fraction of polypropylene（PP） fibers on the tensile properties of normal and high strength concretes was studied. The experimental results indicate that the addition of PP fibers in concrete leads to a reduction in tensile strength during the age of 28 d. Whereas, after 28 days, there is a notable effect in tensile strength due to PP fibers restraining the formation and growth of microcracks in concrete, which improves the continuity and integrality of concrete structure, Thus, a low volume fraction of PP fibers is beneficial to enhancing the long-term tensile strength of concrete materials and improving the durability of concrete structures.

The Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete

The compressive, shear strengths and abrasion-erosion resistance as well as flexural properties of two polypropylene fiber reinforced concretes and the comparison with a steel fiber reinforced concrete were reported.The exprimental results show that a low content of polypropylene fiber (0.91kg/m3 of concrete) slightly decreases the compressive and shear strengths, and appreciably increased the flexural strength, but obviously enhances the toughness index and fracture energy for the concrete with the same mix proportion, consequently it plays a role of anti-cracking and improving toughness in concrete. Moreover, the polypropylene mesh fiber is better than the polypropylene monofilament fiber in improving flexural strength and toughness of concrete, but the two types of polypropylene fibers are inferior to steel fiber. All the polypropylene and steel fibers have no great beneficial effect on the abrasion-erosion resistance of concrete.

Flexural Strength and Behavior of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams

The strength and deformation characteristics of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete ( PFRC) beams were investigated by four-point bending procedures in this paper. Two kinds of polypropylene fibers with different fiber contents (0.2% , 0.5% , 1.0% and 1.5% ) by volume were used in, the beam, which measured 100 × 100 mm with a span of 300 mm. It was found that the strength of the reinforced concrete beams was significantly decreased, whereas the flexural toughness was improved, compared to those unreinforced concrete beams. Geometry properties and volume contents of polypropylene fiber were considered to be important factors for improving the flexural toughness. Moreover, the composite mechanism between polypropylene fiber and concrete was analyzed and discussed.

Spalling and Mechanical Properties of Fiber Reinforced High-performance Concrete Subjected to Fire

Spalling and mechanical properties of FRHPC subjected to fire were tested on notched beams. The results confirm that the internal vapor pressure is the leading reason for spalling of high-performance concrete （HPC）. At the same time, the temperature-increasing velocity and constrained conditions of concrete element also play significant roles in spalling. Steel fibers cannot reduce the risk of spalling, although they have obvious beneficial effects on the mechanical properties of concrete before and after exposure to fire. Polypropylene （PP） fibers are very useful in preventing HPC from spalling, however, they have negative effects on the strengths. By using hybrid fibers （steel fibers＋PP fibers）, both good anti-spalling performance and improved mechanical properties come true, which may provide necessary safe guarantee for the rescue work and structure repair after fire disaster.

Properties and Mechanism on Flexural Fatigue of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete Containing Slag

Properties and mechanism were investigated on flexural fatigue of concrete containing polypropylene fibers and ground granulated blast furnace slag（GGBFS）.Four polypropylene fibers’volume fractions and five slag proportions were considered.An experiment was conducted to obtain the fatigue lives at three stress levels in 20 Hz frequency and at a constant stress level of 0.59 in four frequency respectively.Mechanism and evaluation were investigated based on the experimental data.Fatigue life span models were established.The results show that the addition of polypropylene fibers improves the flexural fatigue cumulative strength and fatigue life span.It is proposed that the slag particles and hydrated products improve Interfacial Transition Zone（ITZ）structure and benefit flexural fatigue performance.A composite reinforce effect is found with the incorporation of slag and polypropylene fibers.The optimum mixture contents 55%slag with 0.6%polypropylene fiber for the cumulative fatigue stress.Fatigue properties are decreased as the stress level increasing,the higher frequency reduces the fatigue strength more than lower frequency at a constant stress level.

CT Image-based Analysis on the Defect of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced High-Strength Concrete at High Temperatures

With the application of X-ray computed tomography（CT） technology of C80 high-strength concrete with polypropylene fiber at elevated temperatures, the microscopic damage evolution process observation and image building could be obtained, based on the statistics theory and numerical analysis of the combination of concrete internal defects extension and evolution regularity of microscopic structure. The expermental results show that the defect rate has changed at different temperatures and can determine the concrete degradation threshold temperatures. Also, data analysis can help to establish the evolution equation between the defect rate and the effect of temperature damage, and identify that the addition of polypropylene fibers in the high strength concrete at high temperature can improve cracking resistance.

Anti-cracking Property of EVA-modified Polypropylene Fiber-reinforced Concrete Under Thermal-cooling Cycling Curing

In order to investigate the synergistic effect of re-dispersible powder-ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer(EVA) and polypropylene fiber on the crack resistance of concrete under thermal fatigue loading, the compressive strength, ultimate tensile strength, ultimate tensile strain and tensile modulus of elasticity were tested. In addition, ultrasonic method and scanning electron microscope analysis were used to explain the microstructure mechanism. The results show that polypropylene fiberreinforced concrete presents a better performance on crack resistance than ordinary concrete, and the synergism of EVA and polypropylene fiber can improve the anti-cracking ability of concrete further.

Flexural Fatigue Behavior of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Segment Concrete

The influence of polypropylene fiber on the flexural fatigue performance of high-strength concrete (HSC), which could be used as cover of reinforcement of segment, was investigate by three-point load bending tests. Also, the flexural fatigue equations of high-strength concrete with and without polypropylene fiber were established through test analysis. The experimental results indicate that the addition of polypropylene fiber can improve the static bending strength of segment concrete, and the important is that it can markedly increase the flexural fatigue performance of the HSC subjected to cyclic bending load. Especially when with 1.37 kg/m3 addition of the fiber was corporate with silica fume and slag powder, the fatigue life of the HSC can be increased by 43.4% compared to that of the segment concrete without fiber, silica fume and slag.

Effects of fibers on mechanical properties of high-performance concrete subjected to elevated temperatures

The compressive strength and ilexural toughness as well as fracture energy of fiber reinforced highperformance concrete （FRHPC） subjected to different high temperatures were studied. The results showed that after exposure at 300,600 and 900℃, the concrete mixes retained 88.1% , 41.3% and 10.2% of the original compressive strength on average, respectively. Steel fiber and polypropylene （PP） fiber were both effective in minimizing the damage effect of high temperatures on the compressive strength. The HPC reinforced with steel fibers showed higher flexural toughness and fracture energy before and after the high-temperature exposures. In comparison, PP fibers had minor beneficial effects on the flexural toughness and fracture energy. The mechanical properties of HPC reinforced with hybrid fibers （steel fiber ＋ PP fiber） were equivalent to or better than those of HPC reinforced with steel fibers alone. In addition, the failure pattern of FRHPC beams changed from pull-out of steel fibers at lower temperatures （20, 300 and 600℃） to tensile failure of steel fibers at higher temperature （900 ℃）.

A Study of Compressive, Flexural, Heat Humidity and Heat Transfer of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Mixed Polypropylene Fiber under Climate of Bangkok

This paper presents the experimental results of study on mechanical properties, heat and humidity transfer through AAC （autoclaved aerated concrete） mixed with PP （polypropylene fiber）. The performance of AAC-PP is investigated in terms of compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, porosity, heat and humidity capacity. The results are compared with control specimen made of autoclaved aerated concrete only （Non-AAC-PP）. Results showed that ultimate compressive strength, flexural strength and splitting tensile strength can be obtained when the content of polypropylene fiber added at 0.75% by volume while porosity of specimens rapidly decreased when content of fiber addition increased above 1% of its volume. Additional, a comparison study of heat and humidity transfer properties on AAC-PP walls showed that the AAC-PP house had lower indoor air and moisture content than （Non-AAC-PP） house. Therefore, addition PP fiber on AAC increased mechanical properties, enhanced hygrothermal performance and reducing moisture content under tropical climate of Bangkok.

Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete under Elevated Temperature

Apart from many advantages,High Strength Concrete(HSC)has disadvantages in terms of brittleness and poor resistance to fire.Various studies suggest that when polypropylene(PP)fibers are uniformly distributed within concrete,they play an active role in improving spalling resistance of concrete when exposed to elevated temperature while having no adverse effect on its mechanical properties.Therefore,there is a necessity to quantify the effect of the addition of polypropylene fibers in terms of the fiber dosage,the strength of the concrete,and the residual mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced concrete under exposure to high temperature from fire.The study was carried out on three water/cement(w/c)ratios(0.47,0.36&0.20)using granite aggregate for determining short term mechanical properties of Polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete in comparison to control mix.The experimental program includes 100×200 mm&150 x 300 mm cylinders with fiber volume of 0.5%,that were subjected to temperatures exposures of 400°C and 600°C for durations of 1 hour.From the results,it was observed that no significant enhancement in mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity,Poisson’s ratio,split tensile strength,flexural strength,and compressive strength was observed at room temperature and at elevated temperatures.

DURABILITY PERFORMANCE AND DIMENSIONAL STABILITY OF POLYPROPYLENE FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

In this study, the durability performance and dimensional stability of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete mixture were investigated. For this purpose, two series of concrete mixtures, including a 0.45 water/cement ratio was prepared both in the absence and presence of fiber. A CEMI 42.5 R type portland cement and crushed limestone aggregate with a maximum particle size of 25 mm were used. In addition to the control mixture without fiber, three different concrete mixtures were prepared by adding polypropylene fiber as 0.4%, 0.8% and 1% of total volume into the mixture. The time-dependent fresh state properties, strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, transport properties, drying shrinkage and freeze-thaw resistance of concrete mixtures, sodium sulfate attack and abrasion were investigated comparatively. Test results demonstrated that utilization of fiber affected the fresh properties of the concrete mixtures negatively. However, the 0.8% fiber-bearing mixture showed the highest performance in terms of durability and dimensional stability. Beyond this utilization ratio, the durability performance of the concrete mixture was negatively affected. The risk of nonhomogeneous dispersion of the fiber in the mixture was relatively high in the excess fiber-bearing mixture. Consequently, with the formation of flocculation in the mixture the void ratio of concrete mixture increased.

Influence of Sugarcane Bagasse Fibers on the Mechanical Strength and Porosity of Concrete Made with Forspak 42.5 N Cement in the Republic of Congo

The concrete mixed to sugarcane bagasse fibers and polypropylene fibers prepared with varied conditions were presented. The aim of our study is to formulate a concrete mixed with sugarcane bagasse fibers, which will gradually replace the conventional polypropylene fibers often used. We formulated all our concretes using the dreux gorisse method. We used an oven calibrated at 105˚C to dry the washed fibers. We also carried out tensile splitting and compression tests, at 28 and 112 days of age. The reinforcement mechanisms of sugarcane bagasse fibers and polypropylene fibers concretes were subjected to tensile splitting and compression tests after total immersion of the specimens in tap water at 28 and 112 days. Porosity at 28 days, mass loss and drying shrinkage at 80 days were also studied. The curing processes of concretes containing 0.10, 0.15, 0.17, 0.23 and 0.25% bagasse fibers were compared with those of ordinary concretes containing no fiber. The results showed that the addition of bagasse fibers reduces mechanical strength and porosity. In summary, specimens SBC-0.15 and SBC-0.17 showed the best results for all fibers. We plan to do the same work, but this time with raffia or palm nut fibers.

Experimental study on behaviors of polypropylene fibrous concrete beams

Synthetic fibers made from nylon or polypropylene have gained application when loose and woven into geo textile form although no information on the matrix’s mechanical performance is obtained so that more understanding of their structural contribution to resist cracking can be determined. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation to determine the performance characteristics of concrete reinforced with a polypropylene structural fiber. In this investigation “Fiber mesh” brand of fibers manufactured by SL Concrete System, Tennessee, USA and marketed by M/S Millennium Building System, Inc., Ban-galore, India are used. The lengths of the fibers used were 24 mm. Fiber dosages used were 0.9, 1.8, 2.7 kg/m3. A total of three mixtures, one for each fiber dosage were made. A standard slump cone test was conducted on the fresh concrete mix with and without fibers to determine the workability of the mix. The test program included the evaluation of hardened concrete properties such as compressive, split tensile, modulus of rupture and flexural strengths. The increase in compressive strength is about 36.25%, 26.20%, and 23.75% respectively that of plain concrete. This increase in strength was directly proportional to amount of fibers present in the mix. The increase in flexural strength for Mixes I^III is about 21%, 16.6%, and 23% respectively that of plain concrete specimens. An experimental investigation was also made to study the behaviors of reinforced fibers concrete beams (with longitudinal reinforcements) under two-point loading. The deflection and crack patterns were also studied. The improvements in strength and ductility characteristics were discussed.

Damage Processes of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Mortar in Different Fiber Content Revealed by Acoustic Emission Behavior

The performances of the cement-based materials can be improved by the incorporation of polypropylene fiber, but the damage processes become more complex with different fiber contents at the same time. The acoustic emission（AE） technology can achieve the global monitoring of internal damage in materials. The evolution process of failure mode and damage degree of polypropylene fiber reinforced mortar and concrete were analyzed by measuring the AE energy, RA value, AF value and b value. It was found that the cement matrix cracked on the initial stage, the cracks further developed on the medium stage and the fibers were pulled out on the last stage. The matrix cracked with minor injury cracks, but the fiber broke with serious damage cracks. The cumulative AE energy was proportional to the polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete and mortar＇s ductility. The damage mode and damage degree can be judged by identifying the damage stage obtained by the analysis of the AF value.

Tekcrete Fast~: Fiber-reinforced, rapid-setting sprayed concrete for rib and surface control

Fiber-reinforced spayed concrete has been used for several years in civil and tunneling operations.Research conducted to reduce cure times and increase compressive and flexural strengths resulted in the development of Tekcrete Fast~, a cementitious product capable of obtaining 41 MPa compressive strength and 8 MPa flexural strength in only 3 h and reaching 7 d strengths of 62 and 11.7 MPa, respectively.A single bag product that uses conventional shotcrete and gunite application systems makes it a natural crossover product for mining applications.The discovery of incredible adhesion properties and high resistance to chloride permeability helps ensure long-term stability and increases the ease of application.Project results from Disaster City~ in Texas and the application for rehabilitating a coal mine belt entry are presented.The case study illustrates the effectiveness of the product in stabilizing a coal mine beltway and adjacent cross-cuts that were subjected to progressive sloughage due to humidity and cyclical loading.

Cracking and Mechanical Properties of Airport Concrete Pavement with Fiber and Expansive Agent

Polypropylene fiber and expansive agent are used in airport concrete to improve its shrinkage cracking resistance and mechanical properties.The concrete specimens with amount content of polypropylene fiber or expansive agent or both of them are prepared.The morphology of specimens is observed by scanning electron microscope,the time when the first crack occurred is recorded through slap test,and the mechanical properties such as compressive strength and impact energies of concrete are measured.The results show that polypropylene fiber in concrete can reduce the shrinkage and delay the first crack,improve the impact resistance obviously,and improve the compressive strength slightly.Expansive agent can compensate the shrinkage and reduce cracks of concrete pavement markedly,and improve the mechanical properties of concrete pavement slightly.The study provides recommendations for cracking control of airport concrete pavement in the future.

Detection of Thermophysical Properties for High Strength Concrete after Exposure to High Temperature

Using the detection principle of infrared thermal imaging technique and the detection principle of DRH thermal conductivity tester laboratory,we investigated the infrared thermal image inspection,coefficient of thermal conductivity,apparent density,and compressive strength test on C80 high-strength concrete（HSC） in the presence and absence of polypropylene fibers under completely heated conditions.Only slight damages were detected below 400 ℃,whereas more and more severe deterioration events were expected when the temperature was above 500 ℃.The results show that the elevated temperature through infrared images generally exhibits an upward trend with increasing temperature,while the coefficient of thermal conductivity and apparent density decrease gradually.Additionally,the addition of polypropylene fibers with appropriate length,diameter,and quantity contributes to the improvement of the high-temperature resistance of HSC.

Performance Evaluation of One-Way Concrete Slabs Reinforced with New Developed GFRP Bars

The incorporation of fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) bars in construction as a replacement to steel bars provides a superior material which is capable to overcome corrosion problems. However, serviceability requirements are important issues to be considered in the design of concrete elements reinforced with glass-FRP (GFRP) bars which are known to have larger deflections and wider crack widths as well as weaker bond compared with steel reinforced concrete. As a solution to this problem, square GFRP bars are proposed. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation that was performed, in which newly developed square and circular GFRP bars were fabricated in the lab. Also, the GFRP bars were tested and used to reinforce concrete slabs. A total of nine full-scale GFRP-reinforced concrete (RC) one-way slabs were constructed, tested and analyzed, considering the most influencing parameters such as the cross sectional shape of GFRP bars, reinforcement ratio, the concrete characteristics strength, and adding polypropylene fibers to the concrete mixture. The test results were showed that, the tested slabs with GFRP square bars improved the deflection and cracking behavior as well as the ultimate load.