ASSESSING THE BEHAVIOUR OF CONCRETE REINFORCED WITH DIFFERENT POLYPROPYLENE FIBER TYPES

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Construction Research Institute, Delta Barrages, Egypt

Abstract

This research was initiated with the objective of evaluating the effect of different polypropylene
fibers on the mechanical characteristics of the concrete, experimentally. This was achieved by
examining the effectiveness of fiber addition in order to improve the concrete mechanical
behavior. Five types of polypropylene fiber (PPF) were investigated to select an appropriate fiber
to be added to the concrete mixture based on its purpose. A concrete mixture was designed and its
different mechanical characteristics were examined. Specimens were tested after curing (i.e. after
7 and 28 days). Durability tests (i.e. abrasion, plastic/drying shrinkage and temperature
differences exposure) were investigated. The results indicated that using PPF, randomly, helps to
bridge and arrest the formed cracks in the concrete under different stresses such as that resulted
from temperature differences exposure. Most of the tested PPF added to the concrete mixes
proved its efficiency in improving the concrete abrasion resistance, controlling plastic so as drying
shrinkage cracking as well as reducing it and enhancing its distribution along the concrete surface.
Using PPF-1/PPF-2 could improve the abrasion resistance up to 35%. Also, the plastic shrinkage
strain is minimized by 32% to 61% compared to its original value.

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