Effect of polypropylene fibers on the long-term tensile strength of concrete

Abstract

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.

Keywords

polypropylene fiber / concrete / tensile strength / microcrack

References

[1] Soroushian P., Khan A., Hsu J. W. Mechanical Properties of Concrete Materials Reinforced with Polypropylene or Polyethylene Fibers[J]. ACI Materials Journal, 1992, 89(2): 535-540.

[2] Malhotra V. M., Garette G. G., Bilodeau A. Mechanical Properties and Durability of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete for Shotcrete Applications[J]. ACI Materials Journal, 1994, 91(5): 478-486.

[3] Barr B., Newman P. D. Toughness of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete[J]. Composites, 1985, 16(1): 48-53.

[4] Wu Y., Wu K. Wang P. Study of Mechanical Properties on Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete[C]. Proceedings of the 3rd Asian Symposium on Polymers in Concrete, 2000. Tongji University Press: Shanghai.

[5] Wu Y. Flexural Strength and Behavior of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams[J]. Journal of Wuhan University of Technology-Mater. Sci. Ed., 2002, 172: 54-57.

[6] Rocco C., Guinea G., Planas J., Elices M. Mihashi. Experimental Analysis of Rupture Mechanisms in the Brazilian Test[C]. Fracture Mechanics of Concrete Structures, Proceedings FRAMCOS-3, 1998. Germany: AEDIFICATIO Publishers.

[7] Rocco C., Guinea G., Planas J., Elices M. Mechanisms of Rupture in Splitting Tests[J]. ACI Materials Journal, 1999, 96(1): 52-60.