Experiments on Strength and Ductility Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Concrete is a common material in construction which has a brittle behavior and can undergo severe structural discontinuities and crushing as a result of growth and propagation of cracks. Prior research shows that using polymer material such as polypropylene fibers can be effective in restricting crack propagation and improving the performance of the concrete. Despite the reported studies, further systematic investigations are still required to demonstrate the enhanced performance of polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete for a variety of structural and seismic applications. On this basis, the effects of addition of polypropylene fibers on the strength and ductility performances of ordinary concrete are investigated in this research endeavor through compressive and flexural experiments. Three types of concrete are considered which include plain concrete with no added fibers and polymer concretes with 0.1% and 0.2% fibers added by weight of cement. Compressive and flexural tests are conducted on eighteen standard cylinders and six beam specimens, respectively, at ages of 7, 14, and 28 days. Quasi-static loading is applied under displacement control. This study demonstrates that the strength and ductility performances of concrete can be enhanced through proper detailing and addition of optimal amount of polypropylene fibers.