Investigation of the Influence of Dispersed Fiber Reinforcement on the Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete

Abstract

In this article, the author investigates the influence of polypropylene (PP) dispersed fiber on several mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete, including compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, crack resistance, and shrinkage. The research findings reveal that an increase in fiber content from 0.1% to 0.2% leads to a decrease in compressive strength of PP fiber-reinforced concrete by 4.56% to 7.88% compared to the control sample without PP fibers. Conversely, the tensile capacity of concrete remains relatively unchanged, while the flexural tensile strength of concrete mix tends to increase from 2.12% to 8.99% with a fiber content of 0.10%. Additionally, at fiber contents of 0.15% and 0.20%, early-age shrinkage of self-compacting concrete diminishes by 20.8%, 32.5%, and 49.4% respectively compared to the control sample. Furthermore, the time to concrete cracking extends from 40 hours (with the control sample) to 58 hours, 69 hours, and 65 hours respectively for fiber contents of 0.10%, 0.15%, and 0.20%.