Flexural behavior of geopolymer composites reinforced with steel and polypropylene macro fibers

Like ordinary Portland cement concrete, the matrix brittleness in geopolymer composites can be reduced by introducing appropriate fiber reinforcement. Several studies on fiber reinforced geopolymer composites are available, however there is still a gap to understand and optimize their performance. This paper presents the flexural behavior of fly ash-based geopolymer composites reinforced with different types of macro steel and polypropylene fibers with higher aspect ratio. Three types (length-deformed, end-deformed and straight) of steel fibers and another type of length-deformed polypropylene fiber with optimum fiber volume fraction of 0.5% are studied. The effects of different geometries of the fibers, curing regimes (ambient cured and heat cured at 60 °C for 24 h) and concentration of NaOH activator (10 M and 12 M) on the first peak strength, modulus of rupture and toughness of the geopolymer composites are investigated. The quantitative effect of fiber geometry on geopolymer composite performance was also analyzed through a fiber deformation ratio. The compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural toughness are significantly improved with macro fibers reinforcement and heat curing. The results also show that heat curing increases the first peak load of all fiber-reinforced geopolymers composites. End-deformed steel fibers exhibit the most ductile flexural response compared to other steel fibers in both heat and ambient-cured fiber reinforced geopolymer composites.     

Effects of cold-bonded fly ash aggregate properties on the shrinkage cracking of lightweight concretes

This paper presents an experimental study on the restrained shrinkage cracking of the lightweight concretes made with cold-bonded fly ash lightweight aggregates. Two types of fly ash having different physical and chemical properties were utilized in the production of lightweight aggregates with different strengths. Afterwards, lower strength aggregates were also surface treated by water glass and cement–silica fume slurry to improve physical and mechanical properties of the particles. Therefore, a total of eight concrete mixtures were designed and cast at 0.35 and 0.55 water–cement ratios using four types of lightweight coarse aggregates differing in their surface texture, density, water absorption, and strength. Ring type specimens were used for restrained shrinkage cracking test. Free shrinkage, creep, weight loss, compressive and splitting tensile strengths, and modulus of elasticity of the concretes were also investigated. Results indicated that improvement in the lightweight aggregate properties extended the cracking time of the concretes resulting in finer cracks associated with the lower free shrinkage. Moreover, there was a marked increase in the compressive and splitting tensile strengths, and the modulus of elasticity.     

Strength and elastic properties of structural lightweight concretes

The study presents the influence of characteristics of four aggregate types (two sintered lightweight fly ash aggregates, cold-bonded lightweight fly ash aggregate and normalweight crushed limestone aggregate) on the strength and elastic properties of concrete mixtures. Different models were also used in order to predict the strength and modulus of elasticity values of concretes. The results of this study revealed the achievement of manufacturing high-strength air-entrained lightweight aggregate concretes using sintered and cold-bonded fly ash aggregates. In order to reach target slump and air content, less amount of chemical admixtures was used in lightweight concretes than in normal-weight concrete, leading to reduction in production cost. The use of lightweight aggregates (LWA) instead of normalweight aggregates in concrete production slightly decreased the strength. The models given by codes, standards and software and equation derived in this study gave close estimated values to the experimental results.     

Effect of steel fiber on the mechanical properties of oil palm shell lightweight concrete

This paper reports the results of a study conducted to investigate the effect of low volume content of steel fiber on the slump, density, compressive strength under different curing conditions, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of a grade 35 oil palm shell (OPS) lightweight concrete mixture. The results indicate that an increase in steel fiber decreased the workability and increased the density. All the mechanical properties except the modulus of elasticity (E) improved significantly. The 28 day compressive strength of steel fiber OPS lightweight concrete in continuously moist curing was in the range of 41–45 MPa. The splitting tensile/compressive and the flexural/compressive strength ratio for plain OPS concrete are comparable with artificial lightweight aggregate. The (E) value measured in this study was about 15.5 GPa on average for all mixes, which is higher than previous studies and is in the range of normal weight concrete. Steel fiber can be used as an alternative material to reduce the sensitivity of OPS concrete in poor curing environments.     

Effects of polypropylene twisted bundle fibers on the mechanical properties of high-strength oil palm shell lightweight concrete

In this study, the effects of a new type of non-metallic fiber (polypropylene twisted bundle (PPTB)) on the slump and mechanical properties of oil palm shell (OPS) concrete have been investigated. The results showed that increasing the volume fraction of PPTB fibers, it slightly decreases the workability and density of the concrete. It has found that the compressive strength of OPS concrete increases with increasing PPTB fiber volume fraction. The results revealed that the reinforcement of OPS concrete with steel and PPTB fibers reduces the strength loss of OPS concrete in poor curing environments. In addition, the fiber with low volume fraction (up to 0.25 %) is more efficient in improving the flexural strength of OPS concrete compared to its splitting tensile strength. The average modulus of elasticity (E value) is obtained to be 17.4 GPa for all mixes, which is higher than the values reported in previous studies and is within the range for normal weight concrete. The performance of the PPTB fibers is comparable to that for steel fibers at a volume fraction (V_f) of 0.5 %, which provides less dead load for lightweight concrete. The findings of this study showed that the PPTB fibers can be used as an alternative material to enhance the properties of OPS concrete. Hence, PPTB fibers are a promising alternative for lightweight concrete applications.     

Abrasion resistance and mechanical properties of high-volume fly ash concrete

The abrasion resistance and mechanical properties of concrete containing high-volume fly ash (HVFA) were investigated. Sand (fine aggregate) was replaced with 35, 45, and 55% of Class F fly ash by mass. The water to cement ratio and the workability of mixtures were maintained constant at 0.46 and 55 ± 5 mm respectively. Properties examined were compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and abrasion resistance expressed as depth of wear. Test results indicated that replacement of sand with fly ash enhanced the 28-day compressive strength by 25–41%, splitting tensile strength by 12–21%, flexural strength by 14–17%, and modulus of elasticity by 18–23% depending upon the fly ash content, and showed continuous improvement in mechanical properties up to the ages of 365 days. Replacing fly ash with sand significantly improved the abrasion resistance of concrete at all ages. Strong correlation exists between the abrasion resistance and each of the mechanical properties investigated.     

The durability properties of polypropylene fiber reinforced fly ash concrete

This paper reports of a comprehensive study on the durability properties of concrete containing polypropylene fiber and fly ash. Properties studied include unit weight and workability of fresh concrete, and compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, porosity, water absorption, sorptivity coefficient, drying shrinkage and freeze–thaw resistance of hardened concrete. Fly ash content used in concrete mixture was 0%, 15% and 30% in mass basis, and fiber volume fraction was 0%, 0.05%, 0.10% and 0.20% in volume basis.     

Mechanical properties of steel fibre reinforced lightweight concrete with pumice stone or expanded clay aggregates

This paper presents basic information on the mechanical properties of steel fibre-reinforced light-weight concrete, manufactured using pumice stone or expanded clay aggregates. Results are presented for standard compressive tests and indirect tensile tests (splitting tests on cylinder specimens and flexure tests on prismatic beams using a three-point loading arrangement) under monotonically increasing or cyclically varying loads. The influence of steel fibres and aggregate types on modulus of elasticity, compressive and tensile strength and post-peak behaviour is evaluated. Test results show that compressive strength does not change for pumice stone aggregates, while an increase is observed for expanded clay; tensile strength and fracture toughness are significantly improved for both pumice stone and expanded clay. The results also show that with both expanded clay and pumice stone lightweight aggregates a suitable content of fibres allows one to obtain performances comparable with those expected from normal weight concrete, the important advantage of lower structural weight being maintained.     

自密实钢纤维轻骨料混凝土的早期性能与损伤分析

在自密实轻骨料混凝土基础之上掺入钢纤维配制出自密实钢纤维轻骨料混凝土,分析了自密实钢纤维轻骨料混凝土的抗压强度、抗拉强度等主要力学性能以及收缩、抗碳化等耐久性能,并与普通骨料自密实混凝土进行对比分析。探讨了钢纤维对于改善自密实轻骨料混凝土损伤所起的作用及其机理。结果表明:掺入钢纤维后自密实轻骨料混凝土的抗压强度增大,劈拉强度明显提高,收缩及抗碳化能力也有明显改善。与普通骨料混凝土相比,自密实钢纤维轻骨料混凝土初始裂缝的产生与发展得到有效抑制。     

Mechanical reinforcement of concrete with bi-component fibers

For some applications the reinforcement of concrete with fibers is an economical alternative to conventional steel bar reinforcement. Steel fibers have been the first choice for many years because of their high tensile strength and high elastic modulus. Low modulus fibers, such as polyolefin based fibers generally are thought to be less suitable for this purpose.However, it is shown that polyolefin fibers with sufficient tensile strength can, applying a novel bi-component approach, successfully enhance the mechanical properties of concrete. The effect of the introduction of nanoparticles into the fiber polymers and of a fiber surface structuring on the fiber pull-out characteristics and the fiber–matrix bond strength is presented.The performance of bi-component fiber reinforced concrete is studied in 4-point bending and square slab tests. Ductile post-peak behavior of such fiber reinforced concrete is achieved, making this new fiber technology interesting for applications in pre-cast elements, industrial floors and earth quake protecting systems.     

高应变率下多尺寸聚丙烯纤维混凝土动态压缩力学性能研究

采用Φ74 mm的分离式霍普金森压杆(Split Hopkinson pressure bar,SHPB)试验装置,对两种尺寸聚丙烯细纤维和一种尺寸聚丙烯粗纤维单掺及混掺的混凝土试件进行冲击压缩试验,对比分析粗、细纤维及不同纤维掺量比的多尺寸纤维混凝土试件在五种不同应变率下的动态压缩强度、动态压缩变形、动态压缩韧性和破坏特征,研究聚丙烯纤维混凝土的动态压缩力学性能.结果表明:随应变率的增加,素混凝土及纤维混凝土的动态压缩强度、动态压缩变形和动态压缩韧性表现出显著的应变率效应;在试验应变率范围内,粗聚丙烯纤维混凝土的动态抗压强度最高,相对素混凝土增幅为132.36％～213.85％;多尺寸聚丙烯纤维混凝土的动态强度增长因子与素混凝土基本一致;掺入多尺寸聚丙烯纤维可有效增大混凝土在不同应变率下的动态峰值应变和动态极限应变;多尺寸聚丙烯纤维混凝土的动态极限韧性较高,其中细聚丙烯纤维含量为1.2 kg/m3时混凝土动态极限韧性最高,增幅为121.11％.     

Compressive stress–strain behavior of steel fiber reinforced-recycled aggregate concrete

The use of recycled aggregate from construction and demolition waste (CDW) as replacement of fine and coarse natural aggregate has increased in recent years in order to reduce the high consumption of natural resources by the civil construction sector. In this work, an experimental investigation was carried out to investigate the influence of steel fiber reinforcement on the stress–strain behavior of concrete made with CDW aggregates. In addition, the flexural strength and splitting tensile strength of the mixtures were also determined. Natural coarse and fine aggregates were replaced by recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and recycled fine aggregate (RFA) at two levels, 0% and 25%, by volume. Hooked end steel fibers with 35 mm of length and aspect ratio of 65 were used as reinforcement in a volume fraction of 0.75%. The research results show that the addition of steel fiber and recycled aggregate increased the mechanical strength and modified the fracture process relative to that of the reference concrete. The stress–strain behavior of recycled aggregate concrete was affected by the recycled aggregate and presented a more brittle behavior than the reference one. With the addition of steel fiber the toughness, measured by the slope of the descending branch of the stress–strain curve, of the recycled concretes was increased and their behavior under compression becomes similar to that of the fiber-reinforced natural aggregate concrete.     

Effect of high volume fly ash on mechanical properties of fiber reinforced concrete

This paper reports the effects of incorporating high volume fly ash in fiber reinforced concrete. Fly ash was mixed as a partial fine aggregate replacement of approximately one third of the fines volume. The fibers were polypropylene or steel fibers at a maximum proportion of 1% by volume of the concrete. The results showed that fiber reinforced concrete that included high fly ash volume achieved compressive and tensile strength values that are more than double those of concrete without fly ash. Values of other mechanical properties have also achieved significant increase due to fly ash addition. It is suggested that a large quantity of fly ash is necessary to enhance the efficiency of fiber reinforcement. Polypropylene fibers resulted in gains up to 50% while steel fibers achieved gains up to more than 100%. This enhancement is believed to be due to the microstructural modification and densification in the transition zone between the matrix and the fibers.

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Résumé Cet article décrit les effets de la cendre volante quand elle est incorporée, en grande quantité, à du béton enrobé de fibres. D'une part, la cendre volante est mélangée au béton de manière à remplacer le contenu en granulat fin qui équivaut à environ un tiers du volume des matériaux fins. D'autre part, le béton est enrobé de fibres, à base de polypropylène ou d'acier, dans une proportion maximale de 1% par volume de béton. Les résultats obtenus démontrent que, mélangé à une quantité volumineuse de cendre volante, le béton enrobé à l'aide de fibres offre, entre autres propriétés mécaniques, une résistance à des efforts de compression et de traction qui dépasse nettement le double de celle que l'on obtient avec du béton dépourvu de cendre volante. On en déduit qu'une grande quantité de cendre volante s'avère nécessaire pour améliorer l'efficacité du renforcement à base de fibres. En outre, l'utilisation de fibres de polypropylène permet d'atteindre une efficacité jusqu' à 50%, tandis que cette dernière excède 100% avec des fibres d'acier. Ces améliorations sont attribuées à la modification et à la densification microstructurelles qui ont lieu dans la zone de transition entre la matrice de béton et les fibres utilisées.

     

Effect of fly ash and slag on concrete: Properties and emission analyses

Recycled concrete is a material with the potential to create a sustainable construction industry. However, recycled concrete presents heterogeneous properties, thereby reducing its applications for some structural purposes and enhancing its application in pavements. This paper provides an insight into a solution in the deformation control for recycled concrete by adding supplementary cementitious materials fly ash and blast furnace slag. Results of this study indicated that the 50% fly ash replacement of Portland cement increased the rupture modulus of the recycled concrete. Conversely, a mixture with over 50% cement replacement by either fly ash or slag or a combination of both exhibited detrimental effect on the compressive strength, rupture modulus, and drying shrinkage. The combined analysis of environmental impacts and mechanical properties of recycled concrete demonstrated the possibility of optimizing the selection of recycled concrete because the best scenario in this study was obtained with the concrete mixture M8 (50% of fly ash+ 100% recycled coarse aggregate).     

Utilization of sweet sorghum fiber to reinforce fly ash-based geopolymer

Geopolymer has been of great research interest as a material for sustainable development. As ordinary Portland cement, however, geopolymer exhibits brittle behavior with low tensile strength, ductility, and fracture toughness. This paper investigates the reinforcement of fly ash-based geopolymer with alkali-pretreated sweet sorghum fiber. The sweet sorghum fiber comes from the bagasse (residue), a waste after the juice is extracted from sweet sorghum stalks for ethanol production. Specifically, the unit weight of fly ash-based geopolymer specimens containing different contents of sweet sorghum fibers was measured. Unconfined compression, splitting tensile, and flexural tests were conducted to investigate the effect of incorporated sweet sorghum fiber on the mechanical properties of fly ash-based geopolymer. Scanning electron microscopy imaging was also performed to study the microstructure of the sweet sorghum fiber–geopolymer composite. The results indicate that the unit weight of the sweet sorghum fiber–geopolymer composite decreases with higher fiber content. Although the inclusion of sweet sorghum fiber slightly decreases the unconfined compressive strength, the splitting tensile, and flexural strengths as well as the post-peak toughness increase with the fiber content up to 2 % and then start to decrease. The splitting tensile tests also clearly show the transition from the brittle failure of the plain geopolymer specimen to the “ductile” failure of the geopolymer specimen containing sweet sorghum fiber.     

多因素对再生混凝土力学性能及抗冻性的影响

为研究不同因素、不同水平对再生混凝土力学性能的作用。该文通过正交试验研究钢纤维掺量、再生粗骨料掺量和粉煤灰掺量对再生混凝土力学性能(抗压强度、劈裂抗拉强度和抗折强度)的影响,确定各因素对再生混凝土力学性能的影响程度,并加以量化表征,并提出多因素共同作用下再生混凝土力学性能的多元非线性回归模型且进行验证。在此基础上,该文进一步研究再生混凝土的抗冻性。结果表明:再生混凝土的力学性能随钢纤维掺量的增加而提高;随粉煤灰掺量增加而降低;再生粗骨料掺量对再生混凝土的力学性能影响较小。钢纤维的掺入可提高再生粗骨料的掺量。再生混凝土力学性能的实测值与通过建立的回归模型得到的计算值的最大误差在6.5%以内。此外,钢纤维的掺入和减少再生粗骨料的掺量均可以提高再生混凝土的抗冻性。     

Lightweight geopolymer concrete containing aggregate from recycle lightweight block

In this research, the properties of lightweight geopolymer concrete containing aggregate from recycle lightweight block were studied. The recycle block was crushed and classified as fine, medium and coarse aggregates. The compressive strength and density with various liquid alkaline/ash ratios, sodium silicate/NaOH ratios, NaOH concentrations, aggregate/ash ratios and curing temperatures were tested. In addition, porosity, water absorption, and modulus of elasticity were determined. Results showed that the lightweight geopolymer blocks with satisfactory strength and density could be made. The 28-day compressive strength of 1.0–16.0 MPa, density of 860–1400 kg/m³, water absorption of 10–31% and porosity of 12–34%, and modulus of elasticity of 2.9–9.9 GPa were obtained. It can be used as lightweight geopolymer concrete for wall and partition.     

Effect of polystyrene aggregate size on strength and moisture migration characteristics of lightweight concrete

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of polystyrene aggregate size on strength and moisture migration characteristics of lightweight concrete. The present study covers the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and un-expanded polystyrene (UEPS) beads as lightweight aggregate in concretes that contain fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material. Lightweight concrete with wide range of concrete densities (1000–1900 kg/m³) were studied mainly for compressive strength, split tensile strength, moisture migration and absorption. The results indicate that for comparable aggregate size and concrete density, concrete with UEPS aggregate exhibited 70% higher compressive strength than EPS aggregate. EPS aggregate concrete with small EPS aggregates showed higher compressive strength and the increase in compressive strength was more pronounced in low density concrete when compared with high density concrete. The UEPS aggregate concrete exhibited brittle failure similar to normal weight concrete (NWC), whereas, gradual failure was observed in EPS concrete. Moreover, the moisture migration and absorption results indicate that the EPS concrete containing bigger size and higher volumes of EPS aggregate show higher moisture migration and absorption.     

Internal curing of Class-F fly-ash concrete using high-volume roof-tile waste aggregate

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a high volume of roof-tile waste coarse aggregate (5–13 mm) as an internal curing agent on the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, pore structure, and hydration and pozzolanic reactions in paste of fly-ash concrete with a low water-to-binder ratio of 0.30. The fly-ash concrete specimens in which the replacement ratio of cement by Class-F fly ash was 40% by mass and that of normal coarse aggregate by roof-tile waste aggregate was 40% by volume, were cured up to 728 days. Internal curing with roof-tile waste aggregate increased the compressive strength of the fly-ash concrete by 8.4–16.5% and decreased the modulus of elasticity by 4.9–12.8%. The use of a high volume of waste aggregate decreased the volume of the capillary pores in the 0.01–10 µm range and the volume proportion of the 0.02–0.33-µm pores after 28 days, but increased the volume proportion of 0.003–0.02-µm pores slightly at 7 days and significantly up to 728 days, and the consumption of Ca(OH)₂ in the fly-ash concrete. This roof-tile waste aggregate can be used as an internal water reservoir to increase the compressive strength and to improve the pore structure of concrete with a high-volume (40%) replacement of Class-F fly ash.     

Effects of alkali-resistant glass fiber reinforcement on crack and temperature resistance of lightweight concrete

Effects of alkali-resistant glass fiber reinforcement on the flexural strength and ductility, restrained shrinkage cracking and temperature resistance of lightweight concrete were investigated. All these properties of lightweight concrete benefitted from the introduction of alkali-resistant glass fibers. Fiber mass fractions of 0.5–3.0% (volume fractions of 0.125–0.75%) were investigated; fiber mass fractions of 1.0–2.0% (volume fractions of 0.25–0.5%) were sufficient for control of restrained shrinkage cracks and enhancement of the flexural toughness and temperature resistance of lightweight concrete.