Experimental study on the effect of polypropylene fiber on bond behavior, corrosion resistance, and microstructural characteristics of high-strength flowable concrete
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This study experimentally evaluates the effects of Polypropylene fibers (PPF) on mechanical, bond, durability and microstructural performance. Total of six M70-grade concrete mixes were prepared for this study, three of which were High Strength Concrete (HSC) and three High Strength Concrete (HSFC) and Polypropylene Fibers (PPF) volume fractions of 0%, 0.1% and 0.2%. Mechanical performance was evaluated using compressive, split tensile and flexural strength test results at days 3, 7 & 28. Bond behaviour was determined using pull-out tests of deformed steel bars, while corrosion resistance was evaluated using accelerated electrolytic corrosion testing. Changes to the microstructure during hydration were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The test results indicate that PPF can significantly increase tensile, flexural and bond strength, with the optimum amount of PPF at an approximate volume ratio of 0.1%. The HSFC mixtures had slightly better post-cracking performance and bond strength than the HSC due to better distribution of the fibres and denser matrix of the HSFC. The accelerated corrosion testing indicated that fibre reinforced mixtures had less mass loss from the steel and delayed crack initiation as well. The XRD and FTIR results confirmed that the hydration continued, the degree of carbonation and the increase in density of the microstructure occurred over time. The test bond strengths exceeded the predictions obtained by reference IS 456:2000 and BS 8110, thus demonstrating the conservative nature of the code.
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