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Article

Experimental Investigation of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers and Fabric for Flexural Reinforcement in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

1
State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
2
College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
3
School of Engineering and Technology, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia
4
Ningbo Shike New Material Technology Co., Ltd., Ningbo 315000, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2025, 18(9), 2002; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092002
Submission received: 26 March 2025 / Revised: 19 April 2025 / Accepted: 26 April 2025 / Published: 28 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on Mechanical Properties of Concrete Structures and RC Beams)

Abstract

This study investigates the use of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers and fabric to enhance the flexural performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC). A total of 45 specimens were tested to examine the effects of fiber type, fabric material, adhesive, and various combined strengthening techniques. The main findings are that incorporating UHMWPE fiber into the ultra-high-strength mortar (HSM) matrix provides superior performance compared to steel fiber, particularly in enhancing crack resistance and energy absorption. UHMWPE fiber-reinforced UHPC achieved a flexural toughness of 307 KJ/m3, over three times higher than that of steel fiber-reinforced UHPC (98 KJ/m3). The use of UHMWPE fabrics was more effective in improving the ductility and toughness of the composites than the use of glass fabrics. The bonding effect of using epoxy resin with UHMWPE fabric is better than using magnesium phosphate cement (MPC). Increasing the number of fabric layers improved the flexural properties of externally bonded fabric but had no impact on internal reinforcement techniques. The best strengthening method in this study was a combination of incorporating UHMWPE fiber internally and externally bonded fabric on a concrete surface, yielding the highest toughness of 580 KJ/m3.
Keywords: UHMWPE; UHPC; textile reinforced mortar; fiber reinforced polymer; hybrid reinforcement; flexural behavior UHMWPE; UHPC; textile reinforced mortar; fiber reinforced polymer; hybrid reinforcement; flexural behavior

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Pan, Z.; Dang, F.; Tuladhar, R.; Yin, S.; Shi, F.; To, P.; Tang, Z. Experimental Investigation of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers and Fabric for Flexural Reinforcement in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete. Materials 2025, 18, 2002. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092002

AMA Style

Pan Z, Dang F, Tuladhar R, Yin S, Shi F, To P, Tang Z. Experimental Investigation of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers and Fabric for Flexural Reinforcement in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete. Materials. 2025; 18(9):2002. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092002

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pan, Zengrui, Faning Dang, Rabin Tuladhar, Shi Yin, Feng Shi, Peter To, and Zisheng Tang. 2025. "Experimental Investigation of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers and Fabric for Flexural Reinforcement in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete" Materials 18, no. 9: 2002. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092002

APA Style

Pan, Z., Dang, F., Tuladhar, R., Yin, S., Shi, F., To, P., & Tang, Z. (2025). Experimental Investigation of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers and Fabric for Flexural Reinforcement in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete. Materials, 18(9), 2002. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092002

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