مهندسی عمران شریف (Nov 2021)
Study on the effects of Polypropylene fibers on the splitting strength, strain capacity and energy absorption of rolled compacted semi-lightweight concrete with applicability in concrete blocks
Abstract
This study aims at improving the tensile behavior of concrete blocks by adding polypropylene fibers to the concrete mixture. For this purpose, 84 cylindrical and cubic specimens were constructed and tested under tensile splitting and compressive force. Three variables of fiber dosage, cement content, and fiber type were taken into account to study the sensitivity of splitting strength, strain capacity, compressive strength, and energy absorption to these variables. The results show that the specimens without fibers experienced a sudden non-ductile failure, whereas this is not the case for the specimens with added fibers. All the considered response parameters were improved thanks to the addition of fibers. Generally, the improvement of specimens with micro fibers was better than that of the corresponding specimens with macro fibers, especially when larger cement content was included.
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