Experimental Study on the Performance of Graded Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (G-GRC) Based on Engineering Application

Abstract

An important way to improve concrete performance is the use of alkali-resistant glass fibers (ARGFs) as reinforcement. This paper is based on the problems of the cracking of the partition wall and lining seepage in Laoshan Tunnel, Qingdao, China. Two types of ARGFs were selected as reinforcement materials for the partition wall and lining concrete: high dispersion (HD) and high performance (HP); and the compressive strength (CS), tensile strength (TS), flexural strength (FS), and impervious performance (IP) of concrete with different gradations of the two types of fibers were investigated. The results show that although the CS of graded glass fiber reinforced concrete (G-GRC) is slightly decreased, the TS, FS, and IP of G-GRC are significantly improved. When the densities of the ARGFs of HD and HP are 0.6 and 5 kg/m3, respectively, G-GRC performs best; additionally, compared with ordinary concrete, the TS, FS, and IP of G-GRC are increased by 15.86%, 14.90%, and 31.58%, respectively. Meanwhile, the tension–compression ratio is increased by 22.29%, and the mechanical properties of concrete are remarkably enhanced. The research results were successfully applied to the construction of the Laoshan tunnel, and good engineering results were obtained.

Keywords

• alkali-resistant glass fibers
• fiber reinforced concrete
• compressive strength
• tensile strength
• flexural strength
• impervious performance