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Fibers in Concrete Construction: Material Behavior, Design and Strengthening

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A special issue of Fibers (ISSN 2079-6439).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 13581

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Akanshu Sharma

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Guest Editor

Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2051, USA
Interests: performance based design of RC structures; static and dynamic testing of RC structures and sub-assemblages; seismic retrofitting of structures with innovative techniques; seismic behavior of cast-in and post-installed anchors in concrete; anchorages with supplementary reinforcement; numerical modeling of structures under seismic loads; modeling of anchorages for interaction between structure and equipment; impact behavior of reinforced concrete structures; fracture mechanics of concrete structures; modeling of bond between reinforcement and concrete; performance of RC structures subjected to fire loads; structural applications of new concrete based materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic, synthetic or natural fibers are frequently used in concrete construction, either to improve material behavior under normal or extreme loads or for strengthening of structures. The addition of steel fibers in concrete is known to improve its mechanical properties, such as its strength, fracture energy, toughness, etc. Addition of polypropylene fibers can prevent explosive spalling of high strength concrete under fire. Similarly, fibers made of carbon, aramid, glass, lead, etc. have been investigated by the researchers to alter one or more properties of concrete. Hybridizing the fibers optimally may improve different properties of concrete. Significant research is being carried out to characterize the material behavior of concrete with added fibers under different loading conditions. To utilize the improved material behavior, new design rules are required which can utilize the enhanced potential of the fiber-reinforced concrete while maintaining a high degree of safety. Due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) are often used to strengthen concrete structures against various kinds of loading scenarios. Several studies have shown the potential of FRP in strengthening structural elements; however, several issues and applications are still open for research. Good numerical and analytical methods as well as design rules are required to understand and design a suitable FRP strengthening of structural elements.

This Special Issue focuses on the various applications of fibers in concrete construction with respect to the material behavior, design issues and strengthening solutions. Through this call, I would like to invite researchers to present their latest research findings through high-quality journal papers in the field of fibers in concrete construction for the benefit of researchers, engineers, industry and students.

Dr. Akanshu Sharma
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fibers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

fibers
fiber-reinforced polymers
reinforced concrete structures
strengthening
material behavior
structural design
numerical modeling
experimental methods

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2423 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Mechanical Performance on Static and Shock Wave Loading of Aramid Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

by Yeou-Fong Li, Hsin-Fu Wang, Jin-Yuan Syu, Gobinathan Kadagathur Ramanathan and Ying-Kuan Tsai

Fibers 2022, 10(10), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10100082 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2045

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has been used for over a century to improve the mechanical properties of concrete. Kevlar ^® 29 fiber (KF) is one of the most popular aramid fibers used in industrial products. This research investigated the effect of the fiber length, the weight ratio of fiber to cement, the mix-proportion of two fiber lengths, and the sizing on the fiber surface on the mechanical properties of Kevlar fiber-reinforced concrete (KFRC) under static, dynamic, and shock wave loadings. Two lengths of chopped KF and three different weight ratios of fiber to cement were mixed in the KFRC specimens for comparison. Moreover, this study also compared how the five mix-proportions of two fiber lengths affected the mechanical properties of mix-proportion KFRC. KF was dispersed by the pneumatic method first, and then, the separated KF was mixed into the concrete to make KFRC. The results indicated that the KFRC specimens with a 10‰ weight ratio of fiber to cement exhibited the maximum compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strengths, regardless of whether the fiber length was 12 mm or 24 mm. The main finding showed that the specimen mixed with 24 mm KF could endure the highest impact resistance under different impact energies. From the shock wave test, the external damage on the front and rear faces of all KFRC slabs and the KFRC slab reinforced with two layers of KF sheets was less than that of the benchmark slab. The testing results showed that KF greatly enhanced the static and dynamic mechanical performances of concrete, and the KFRC specimen with a 10‰ weight ratio and 24 mm length KF with sizing exhibited the best performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers in Concrete Construction: Material Behavior, Design and Strengthening)

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17 pages, 32649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fibres as Replacement of Horizontal Ties in Compressed Reinforced Concrete Elements: Experimental Study

by Ulvis Skadiņš

Fibers 2022, 10(8), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10080068 - 10 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1696

Abstract

Steel fibres provide ductility to concrete structures. This, in turn, gives possibility to replace or reduce conventional reinforcement in structural elements. In this study, the focus is on structural walls and the fibres as potential replacements for horizontal reinforcement in areas where vertical rebars are needed. An experimental study was conducted, in which prismatic specimens with longitudinal rebars were subjected to centric loading. Ten samples with 12 specimens in each were tested. The parameters considered were: fibre content, concrete cover for the longitudinal bars, and presence of stirrups. Self-compacting concrete with 30 and 60 kg/m

^{3}

steel fibres was used. Relative and normalised values of the test results were calculated; correlation and analysis of variance was used to estimate the effect of fibres. The results show that the fibres eliminated brittle collapse and spalling of concrete at failure. A strong negative correlation (−0.72 to −0.92) between amount of fibres and load-bearing capacity was found. On average, the reduction of the capacity was 8% to 16% if compared to the specimens with no fibres. However, a positive effect of the fibres on the ductility was observed. Specimens with 30 kg/m

^{3}

fibres showed the same post-peak behaviour as specimens with minimum horizontal reinforcement required by Eurocode 2. The study suggests that combination of steel fibres and conventional rebars can lead to less qualitative compactness of the self-compacting concrete, which in turn may reduce load-bearing capacity and stiffness of the structure. Special attention on concrete cover and distance between rebars should be paid if self-compacting concrete structures with steel fibres are designed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers in Concrete Construction: Material Behavior, Design and Strengthening)

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17 pages, 5750 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Steel-Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced High Strength Concrete Exposed to Various Temperatures

by Maged Tawfik, Amr El-said, Ahmed Deifalla and Ahmed Awad

Fibers 2022, 10(6), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10060053 - 12 Jun 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3155

Abstract

Combining different types of fibers inside a concrete mixture was revealed to improve the strength properties of cementitious matrices by monitoring crack initiation and propagation. The contribution of hybrid fibers needs to be thoroughly investigated, taking into consideration a variety of parameters such as fibers type and content. In this paper, the impact of integrating hybrid steel-polypropylene fibers on the mechanical properties of the concrete mixture was investigated. Hybrid fiber-reinforced high-strength concrete mixtures were tested for compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength. According to the results of the experiments, the addition of hybrid fibers to the concrete mixture improved the mechanical properties significantly, more than adding just one type of fiber for specimens exposed to room temperature. Using hybrid fibers in the concrete mixture increased compressive, tensile, and flexural strength by approximately 50%, 53%, and 46%, respectively, over just using one type of fiber. Furthermore, results showed that including hybrid fibers into the concrete mixture increased residual compressive strength for specimens exposed to high temperatures. When exposed to temperatures of 200 °C, 400 °C, and 600 °C, the hybrid fiber reinforced concrete specimens maintained 87%, 65%, and 42% of their initial compressive strength, respectively. In comparison, the control specimens, which were devoid of fibers, would be unable to tolerate temperatures beyond 200 °C, and an explosive thermal spalling occurred during the heating process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers in Concrete Construction: Material Behavior, Design and Strengthening)

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26 pages, 6623 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effectiveness of Hybrid Fibers on the Fracture and Shear Behavior of Prestressed Concrete Beams

by Chandrashekhar Lakavath, Aniket B. Bhosale, S. Suriya Prakash and Akanshu Sharma

Fibers 2022, 10(3), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10030026 - 08 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2883

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of hybrid fibers (steel and macro-synthetic) on the shear behavior of prestressed concrete beams. The hybrid fiber combination was selected to avoid workability issues at high volume dosages and ensure effective crack arresting over the crack opening range. Fracture studies included testing notched concrete prisms to identify the role of hybrid fibers in the crack bridging mechanism. Seven hybrid fiber reinforced prestressed concrete (HFRPC) beams were tested at a low shear span (a) to depth (d) ratio of 2.4. The effects of hybrid fibers on load–deflection behavior and strain in the strand are reported. Similarly, the crack opening, crack slip and crack angle variation regarding applied shear were investigated using the digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Test results of HFRPC beams showed considerable improvements in peak load and the post-peak response with a higher hybrid fiber dosage. The crack opening and crack slip measurement across the major shear crack revealed continuous dilatant behavior. The kinematic response of critical shear crack reflects the sustained dilation response up to the ultimate load, which depends on the critical shear crack angle of the tested beams. As the fiber dosage increases, the shear crack slip and width are reduced, indicating the roles of hybrid fibers in improving ductility and the change in failure mode from brittle shear tension to relatively ductile shear tension. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers in Concrete Construction: Material Behavior, Design and Strengthening)

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Review

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26 pages, 3602 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Bond between Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Tubes and Sea Water Sea Sand Concrete: Mechanisms and Effective Parameters: Critical Overview and Discussion

by Johanna Dorothea Luck, Milad Bazli and Ali Rajabipour

Fibers 2022, 10(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10010008 - 14 Jan 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2967

Abstract

Using fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) in construction avoids corrosion issues associated with the use of traditional steel reinforcement, while seawater and sea sand concrete (SWSSC) reduces environmental issues and resource shortages caused by the production of traditional concrete. The paper gives an overview of the current research on the bond performance between FRP tube and concrete with particular focus on SWSSC. The review follows a thematic broad-to-narrow approach. It reflects on the current research around the significance and application of FRP and SWSSC and discusses important issues around the bond strength and cyclic behaviour of tubular composites. A review of recent studies of bond strength between FRP and concrete and steel and concrete under static or cyclic loading using pushout tests is presented. In addition, the influence of different parameters on the pushout test results are summarised. Finally, recommendations for future studies are proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers in Concrete Construction: Material Behavior, Design and Strengthening)

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