Experimental investigation on the mechanical characteristics of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) based fiber-reinforced concrete

Abstract

This study investigates the static and dynamic mechanical properties of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC). The properties were assessed by conducting compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength, and impact resistance. The pneumatic dispersion method was used for the UHMWPE fiber pretreatment. The concrete mix was prepared with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.6 and an aggregate fineness modulus of 5.39. UHMWPE fibers, measuring 6 mm and 12 mm in length and incorporated at addition rates of 5 wt‰, 10 wt‰, 15 wt‰, and 20 wt‰ of the fiber-to-cement weight ratio, were added to the concrete specimens for testing. The results showed that the FRC with 12 mm UHMWPE fiber and 15 wt‰ fiber-to-cement weight ratio achieved the best performance in the compressive strength test, and it increase 51.92 % compared with benchmark specimen. For the flexural test results, the 6 mm UHMWPR fiber performed best at a 15 wt‰ addition ratio, and it increase 18.77 % compared with benchmark specimen. Moreover, the FRC with 12 mm UHMWPR fiber excelled at a 20 wt‰ addition ratio in split tensile strength test, and it increase 92.14 % compared with benchmark specimen. The drop weight test indicated that a 15 wt‰ addition ratio with 12 mm UHMWPE fiber significantly enhanced performance, with an average impact number improvement of 5527 % under a 50 Joule impact energy, compared to the benchmark specimens. The study concludes that incorporating UHMWPE fiber into concrete significantly boosts its static and dynamic performance.

Keywords

• Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene
• Fiber-reinforced concrete
• Compressive strength
• Flexural strength
• Split tensile strength
• Impact energy