Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Made with Natural Pumice

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to improve the ductility of pumice lightweight aggregate concrete by incorporating hybrid steel and polypropylene fibers. The changes in mechanical properties and also bulk density and workability of pumice lightweight aggregate concrete due to the addition of hybrid steel and polypropylene fibers have been studied. The properties were investigated include bulk density and workability of fresh concrete as well as compressive strength, flexural tensile strength, splitting tensile strength and toughness of hardened concrete. Nine concrete mixtures with different volume fractions of steel and polypropylene fibers were tested. A large increase in compressive and flexural ductility and energy absorption capacity due to the addition of steel fibers was observed. Polypropylene fibers, on the other hand, caused a minor change in mechanical properties of hardened concrete especially in the mixtures made with both steel and polypropylene fibers. These observations provide insight into the benefits of different fiber reinforcement systems to the mechanical performance of pumice lightweight aggregate concrete which is considered to be brittle. These results provide guidance for design of concrete materials with reduced density and enhanced ductility for different applications, including construction of high-rise, earthquake-resistant buildings.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Comments

The authors would like to acknowledge that financial support for this Project provided by Construction Materials Institute (CMI), Civil Engineering Department, University of Tehran.

Keywords and Phrases

Ductility; Hybrid fiber; Lightweight concrete; Polypropylene fiber; Pumice; Steel fiber; Toughness; Workability

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0950-0618

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2011 Elsevier Ltd., All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2011

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