Mechanical Strength and Impact Resistance of Concrete Samples Reinforced by Polypropylene Textile

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of polypropylene textile reinforcements on the strength of concrete samples in compressive, tensile (Brazilian), bending, and impact tests. The type and number of reinforcement layers, as well as their spacing and placement angles within the concrete samples, were variables in this research. Three types of textiles with varying dimensions and tensile strengths were used to reinforce the concrete. The number of reinforcement layers in the concrete samples ranged from one layer in the lowest configuration to three layers in the highest configuration. To accurately assess the effect of reinforcements on the strength parameters of concrete, a control sample (unreinforced) was prepared separately for each test, and its results were compared with those of reinforced configurations. In the compressive strength test, the most optimal configuration used three layers of P2 reinforcement (mesh size 5×5 mm) spaced 100 mm apart, resulting in a 1.9% increase in strength compared with the control sample. In the bending test, the strength of the concrete beam sample reinforced with two layers of P2 reinforcement, positioned 15 mm apart, increased by 46% compared with the unreinforced sample. Additionally, in the tensile strength test conducted via split testing, the sample reinforced with two layers exhibited the highest resistance. Conversely, in the impact test, the maximum resistance was observed in the three-layer arrangement of P1 reinforcement (mesh size 15×15 mm) in the concrete disk sample, which withstood 901 impacts before failure.