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Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 20069

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chao-Wei Tang

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840, Chengching Rd., Niaosong District, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan
2. Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840, Chengching Rd., Niaosong District, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan
3. Super Micro Mass Research and Technology Center, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840, Chengching Rd., Niaosong District, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan
Interests: concrete materials; lightweight aggregate concrete; neural networks
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fiber-reinforced concrete mainly uses fiber to improve the properties of reinforced concrete, such as tensile strength, deformability, and dynamic load resistance. In order to reduce cracks in concrete (due to shrinkage or autogenous shrinkage) and to increase tensile ductility and fire resistance, many different types of fibers have been developed for the market and have been widely used in various construction projects. Many scholars have developed a blend of different types of fibers to obtain better concrete engineering properties, such as enhanced toughness, as well as to solve problems caused by the high fiber content of traditional fiber concrete. For example, the amount of added fiber can be varied to optimize the bond relationship between the paste and the fiber, such that it can exhibit steel-like strain-hardening behavior when subjected to direct tension. This cementitious composite, with tensile strain hardening, is called high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (HPFRC).

This Special Issue of Applied Sciences, “Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties”, is intended for a wide and interdisciplinary audience, and covers recent advances in:

Innovative concepts to improve the mechanical properties of HPFRC;
Developments of new fiber technology to improve the performance of HPFRC;
Engineering applications of HPFRC;
Reduction of the negative impact of fiber on certain properties of concrete;
Mix design of HPFRC;
Bond behavior of HPFRC;
Thermal properties and fire behavior of HPFRC;
Durability of HPFRC.

For this Special Issue, authoritative review articles and original research papers on HPFRC regarding the latest findings related to material properties and structural implications of civil and architectural applications are welcome.

Prof. Chao-Wei Tang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

mix design
crack formation and propagation
fracture energy
compressive strength
modulus of elasticity
stress–strain behavior
tensile strength
flexural strength
drying shrinkage
creep
electrical resistance
fire behavior
chloride migration resistance

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3693 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical and Post-Cracking Characteristics of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Containing Copper-Coated Steel and PVA Fibers in 100% Cement and Fly Ash Concrete

by Asif Jalal, Luqmanul Hakim and Nasir Shafiq

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031048 - 25 Jan 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1924

Abstract

This experimental study investigated the effects of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and copper-coated steel (CCS) on the mechanical properties and the post cracking behavior of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC). In designing high-performance concrete mixes, cement replacement materials are the essential ingredients. Therefore, the research objective was to investigate PVA and CCS fiber’s post-cracking performance in 100% cement concrete and concrete with 80% cement and 20% fly ash. The fiber content was fixed as a 0.3% volumetric fraction. CSS fibers required 15% more superplasticizer to achieve the desired slump of fresh concrete than the PVA fibers. Simultaneously, CCS fibers showed a 10% higher compressive strength than the concrete made of PVA fibers. Both fibers exhibited a similar effect in developing tensile and flexural strength. PVA fibers showed a value of 47 Gpa of secant modulus, and CCS fibers resulted in 37 Gpa in 100% cement concrete. In post-cracking behavior, CCS fibers showed better performance than the PVA fibers. The reason for this is that CCS showed 2.3 times the tensile strength of the PVA fibers. In comparing the two concretes, fly ash concrete showed about 10% higher compressive strength at 56 days and about 6% higher tensile and flexural strength. Similarly, fly ash concrete showed more than 15% first crack strength and flexural toughness than the 100% cement concrete in post-cracking behavior. Fiber-reinforced concrete containing PVA or CCS fibers showed enhanced post-cracking characteristics and its use could be preferred in structural applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties)

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12 pages, 4668 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical and Fiber-Bridging Behavior of Slag-Based Composite with High Tensile Ductility

by Jeong-Il Choi, Hyeong-Ki Kim and Bang Yeon Lee

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4300; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124300 - 23 Jun 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2018

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental and analytical investigation of the fundamental mechanism of the highly ductile behavior of strain-hardening slag-based composite reinforced by polyethylene fibers. Composite properties, including compressive strength and tensile behavior of the composite, were identified. Micromechanical characteristics, including matrix fracture toughness and interfacial properties between matrix and fiber, were investigated and the fiber-bridging behavior of the composite was simulated. The tensile behavior of the composite was evaluated by micromechanical analysis. Test results showed that the composite had extremely high tensile ductility of up to 7.5% and high tensile strength of 8.5 MPa, along with a moderate compressive strength of 36.8 MPa. Saturated cracking patterns with controlled crack width of 59.8 μm were also observed in the composite. Considering the variation of matrix properties and fiber distribution, the theoretical fiber-bridging curve simulated the tensile behavior of the composite well, and the micromechanical analysis results supported the tensile behavior of the composite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties)

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19 pages, 6887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Fibers and Curing Conditions on the Pore Morphology in Plain and Fiber-Reinforced High-Performance Concrete through the Use of Computed Tomography Scan Technology

by Dorys C. González, Mohammad Rahman, Jesús Mínguez, Miguel A. Vicente and Riyadh Hindi

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4286; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124286 - 22 Jun 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2003

Abstract

This paper analyzes the pore morphology of two different concrete mixtures (plain and fiber-reinforced) under two different curing conditions, through the use of a CT scanner and post-processing software. Twelve cylinders of 45.2 mm in diameter and 50 mm in height were cast. Half of the specimens were kept in a humidity-controlled room, at 20 °C and 60% humidity, and the rest in a curing room, at 20 °C and 100% humidity. All the specimens were scanned at the age of 28 days, using a micro CT scanner. The results reveal that the presence of fibers substantially modifies the pore morphology in the way of increasing the volume of voids and the pore-size, reducing the shape factor of the voids and reorienting the voids toward a direction more aligned to the one showed by the fibers. In general, the curing conditions do no exhibit a great impact on the results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties)

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17 pages, 4957 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Residual Mechanical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Lightweight Aggregate Concrete after Exposure to Elevated Temperatures

by Chao-Wei Tang

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(10), 3519; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10103519 - 20 May 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2181

Abstract

In this study, the effects of individual and mixed fiber on the mechanical properties of lightweight aggregate concrete (LWC) after exposure to elevated temperatures were examined. Concrete specimens were divided into a control group (ordinary LWC) and an experimental group (fiber-reinforced LWC), and their compressive strength, elastic modulus, and flexural strength after heating to high temperatures of 400–800 °C were investigated. The four test parameters included concrete type, concrete strength, fiber type, and targeted temperature. The test results show that after exposure to 400–800 °C, the variation in mechanical properties of each group of LWC showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. After exposure to 400 °C, the residual mechanical properties of all specimens did not attenuate due to the drying effect of the high temperature and the more sufficient cement hydration reaction. However, after exposure to 800 °C, the residual mechanical properties significantly reduced. Overall, the mixed fiber-reinforced LWC showed a better ability to resist the loss of mechanical properties caused by high temperature. Compared with the loss of compressive strength, the flexural strength was relatively lost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties)

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19 pages, 6194 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Behavior of Mass Concrete with the Addition of Carbon Nanofibers (CNFs) When Exposed to Fire

by Rubén Serrano Somolinos, María Isabel Prieto Barrio, María de las Nieves González García and Kenzo Jorge Hosokawa Menéndez

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(1), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10010117 - 22 Dec 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2669

Abstract

Due to the importance of concrete as a structural material and the pathologies that can be achieved by reinforced concrete structures when they are subjected to the action of fire both at the level of resistance and deformation, in this research we study the mechanical behavior of mass concrete with the addition of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) when exposed to the action of fire, in order to determine the improvements that this type of addition produces in concrete. To achieve this objective, compression break tests have been carried out on cylindrical concrete specimens incorporating CNFs. From the analysis of results, it can be concluded that the residual resistant capacity of concrete with the addition of 1% of CNFs by weight of cement subjected to the direct action of fire, is greater than that of concrete without additions, not obtaining better results, if the addition of CNFs increases to 2%. The addition of 1% of CNFs has not influenced the temperatures reached in the concrete, but produces a more homogeneous cooling and that the paste-aggregate bond is maintained despite thermal aggression, which decreases the spalling effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties)

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Graphical abstract

13 pages, 8179 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shear Load-Displacement Curves of PVA Fiber-Reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composite Expansion Joints in Steel Bridges

by Liqiang Yin, Shuguang Liu, Changwang Yan, Ju Zhang and Xiaoxiao Wang

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(24), 5275; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9245275 - 4 Dec 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3163

Abstract

The concrete in the transition strips of expansion joints can become damaged prematurely during the service period. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber-reinforced engineered cementitious composite (ECC) is a kind of high ductility concrete material, and its ultimate uniaxial tensile strain is more than 3%. It can be used to improve the damage status of expansion joints. Based on previous research results, ECCs were used in the pilot project of bridge expansion joints. Under this engineering background, the shear load-displacement curves of ECC expansion joints were studied through 27 groups of compression-shear tests of ECC/steel composite structures. The shear failure characteristics of ECC expansion joints were analyzed by the digital image correlation method. A shear load-displacement curve model of the composite structures was proposed based on the equivalent strain assumption and Weibull distribution theory. The results show that the failure mode of the composite structure specimens was ECC shear cracking. Stress and strain field nephograms were used to explain the failure characteristics of the composite structure specimens. The calculated curves of the shear load-displacement model of the composite structures were in good agreement with the experimental curves. The work is of great importance to the shear design of ECC expansion joints and their further engineering applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties)

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Review

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20 pages, 5554 KiB

Open AccessReview

Mechanical Properties and Explosive Spalling Behavior of Steel-Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Exposed to High Temperature—A Review

by Peng Zhang, Luoyi Kang, Juan Wang, Jinjun Guo, Shaowei Hu and Yifeng Ling

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(7), 2324; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10072324 - 28 Mar 2020

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 5368

Abstract

Steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) is being increasingly applied to various buildings and civil infrastructure as an advanced cementitious composite. In recent years, the requirements for SFRC in the construction industry have increased. Additionally, the fire resistance of SFRC has attracted attention; therefore, numerous investigations regarding the residual properties of SFRC have been conducted. This paper critically reviews the mechanical properties of SFRC subjected to elevated temperatures, including its residual compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, elastic properties, fracture properties, and stress–strain relationships. The residual mechanical performance of SFRC and the action mechanism of steel fibers are reviewed in detail. Moreover, factors affecting the explosive spalling of concrete at high temperatures as well as the effect of steel fibers on the microstructure of heated concrete are discussed. It is demonstrated that, in general, SFRC exhibits better residual mechanical properties when exposed to elevated temperatures than plain concrete and can prevent the risk of explosive spalling more effectively. The purpose of this literature review is to provide an exhaustive insight into the feasibility of SFRC as a refractory building material; additionally, future research needs are identified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Properties)

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