The Mechanical Properties of Fiber Metal Laminates Based on 3D Printed Composites

The production and mechanical properties of fiber metal laminates (FMLs) based on 3D printed composites have been investigated in this study. FMLs are structures constituting an alternating arrangement of metal and composite materials that are used in the aerospace sector due to their unique mechanical performance. 3D printing technology in FMLs could allow the production of structures with customized configuration and performance. A series of continuous carbon fiber reinforced composites were printed on a Markforged system and placed between layers of aluminum alloy to manufacture a novel breed of FMLs in this study. These laminates were subjected to tensile, low velocity and high velocity impact tests. The results show that the tensile strength of the FMLs falls between the strength of their constituent materials, while the low and high velocity impact performance of the FMLs is superior to those observed for the plain aluminum and the composite material. This mechanism is related to the energy absorption process displayed by the plastic deformation, and interfacial delamination within the laminates. The present work expects to provide an initial research platform for considering 3D printing in the manufacturing process of hybrid laminates.     

Influence of Industrial Metakaolin Waste on Autoclaved Fiber Cement Properties Changes in Standard Fire Environment

An investigation was conducted on the influence that industrial metakaolin waste (IMW) has on the properties of autoclaved fiber cement composition (FCC) samples. FCC samples were made from fiber cement plate’s typical components using the same proportions. In samples, IMW was used instead of cement in 10%, 20%, 30% proportions and in 50%, 100% proportions instead of ground quartz. Differential thermal analysis (DTG), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ultrasound pulse velocity (UPV), density, porosity and optical microscope (OM) research methods were used to identify the micro and macrostructure of samples. Mechanical properties were evaluated using flexural and compressive strength research methods. It was established that IMW was used instead of cement in fiber cement composition samples up to 10% and in fiber cement composition samples instead of ground quartz forms density microstructure structure because of Al-rich tobermorite. As a result, the flexural and compressive strength increased. Samples with higher content of IMW instead of cement had unreacted IMW and a less dense microstructure. In this case, flexural and compressive strength decreased. All FCC samples were fired in a standard fire curve (ISO 842) for 30 min. Samples of mechanical properties were established by doing flexural and compressive strength tests, and which results showed the same trends.     

Modification of the Structure and Properties of Lightweight Cement Composite with PVA Fibers

This study addresses the application of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers to improve the performance of lightweight cement composites with pozzolans. Blended cement mixes based on expanded glass granules were modified with PVA fibers (Type A: Ø40 µm, L = 8 mm and Type B: Ø200 µm, L = 12 mm). The following research methods were used to analyse the effect of the fibers on the structure of cement matrix and physical-mechanical properties of lightweight composite: SEM, XRD, DTG, calorimetry tests, and standard test methods of physical and mechanical properties. Results from the tests showed that a denser layer of hydrates was formed around the PVA fiber and the amounts of portlandite, CSH, and CASH formed in the specimens with PVA were found to be higher. PVA fibers of Type A accelerated hydration of the cement paste, slightly increased the compressive strength of the lightweight composite, but had no significant effect on the values of density, ultrasonic pulse velocity and flexural strength. The shrinkage of cement composite was significantly reduced using both types of PVA fiber and both types of PVA fibers increased the fracture energy of lightweight cement composite with expanded granules.     

Mechanical and Fracture Properties of Long Fiber Reinforced Geopolymer Composites

The aim of the article is to analyze the structure and mechanical properties in terms of the cracking mechanics of geopolymer composites based on fly ash and river sand, as well as metakaolin and river sand with three types of reinforcement material: glass fiber, carbon fiber, and aramid fiber, in terms of their use in additive manufacturing. Geopolymer composites were reinforced with fibers in a volume ratio of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0%. Subsequently, these samples were subjected to bending strength tests in accordance with the European standard EN 12390-3. The addition of fibers significantly improved the bending strength of all composites made of metakaolin and sand. The reinforcement with aramid fiber in the amount of 2.0% resulted in more than a 3-fold increase in strength compared to the reinforcement-free composites. An analysis of the morphology of the fibers was carried out on the basis of photos taken from an electron microscope. The correct addition of fibers changes the nature of the fracture from brittle to more ductile and reduces the number of cracks in the material.     

Investigation on Fracture Behavior of Cementitious Composites Reinforced with Aligned Hooked-End Steel Fibers

Aligning steel fibers is an effective way to improve the mechanical properties of steel fiber cementitious composites (SFRC). In this study, the magnetic field method was used to prepare the aligned hooked-end steel fiber cementitious composites (ASFRC) and the fracture behavior was investigated. In order to achieve the alignment of steel fibers, the key parameters including the rheology of the mixture and magnetic induction of electromagnetic field were theoretically analyzed. The results showed that, compared with SFRC, the cracking load and the ultimate load of ASFRC were increased about 24–55% and 51–86%, respectively, depending on the fiber addition content. In addition, the flexural tensile strength and residual flexural strength of ASFRC were found to increase up to 105% and 100%, respectively. The orientation of steel fibers also has a significant effect on energy consumption. The fracture energy of ASFRC was 56–70% greater than SFRC and the reinforcement effect of hooked-end steel fiber was higher than straight steel fiber. The fibers in the fracture surface showed that not only was the number of fibers of ASFRC higher than that of SFRC, but also the orientation efficiency factor of ASFRC was superior to SFRC, which explains the improvement of fracture behavior of ASFRC.     

Mechanical Properties of Aramid/Carbon Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

In this study, aramid fiber (Kevlar^® 29 fiber) and carbon fiber were added into concrete in a hybrid manner to enhance the static and impact mechanical properties. The coupling agent presence on the surface of carbon fibers was spotted in Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) graphs. The carbon fiber with a coupling agent affected the mechanical strength of the reinforced concrete. At 1% fiber/cement weight percentage, the hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (HFRC) prepared using Kevlar fiber and carbon fiber of 12 and 24 mm in length under different mix proportions was investigated to determine the maximum mechanical strengths. From the test results, the mechanical strength of the HFRC attained better performance than that of the concrete with only Kevlar or carbon fibers. Foremost, the mix proportion of Kevlar/carbon fiber (50–50%) significantly improved the compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strengths. Under different impact energies, the impact resistance of the HFRC specimen was much higher than that of the benchmark specimen, and the damage of the HFRC specimens was examined with an optical microscope to identify slippage or rupture failure of the fiber in concrete.     

Performance and Cost-Effectiveness of Short Pitch-Based Carbon Fiber Reinforced Mortar Composite

This paper discusses the performance of the short pitch-based carbon fiber reinforced mortar (CFRM) composite considering its key properties and cost-effectiveness. Five different types of mortar composite were produced using 0–4% volume contents of short pitch-based carbon fibers. The mortar composites were tested for inverted slump cone flow (flow time and volume flow), unit weight, air content, compressive strength, flexural strength, impact resistance, and water absorption. The cost-effectiveness of CFRM was assessed based on the performance to cost ratio (PCR), which was calculated for each mortar composite, considering its workability, mechanical properties, and durability. The inverted slump cone volume flow was counted as a measure of workability, whereas the compressive strength, flexural strength, and impact resistance were considered as the major attributes of the mechanical behavior. In addition, the water absorption was used as a measure of durability. The test results revealed that the mortar composite made with 3% carbon fibers provided adequate workability, a relatively high unit weight and low air content, the highest compressive strength, excellent flexural strength, good impact resistance, and the lowest water absorption. It was also found that the PCR increased up to 3% carbon fibers. Beyond a 3% fiber content, the PCR significantly decreased. The overall research findings revealed that the mortar with 3% carbon fibers was the optimum and most cost-effective mortar composite.     

Flexural Strength of Dental Fiber Composite Post Manufactured with a Novel Approach

Thermoplastic resin fiber composites have an easy fabrication process, good mechanical properties, and compatible stiffness to tooth dentin. However, they have not yet attracted much interest in the field of dentistry. The current study was carried out to test a new proposed approach to manufacture a fiber reinforced composite endodontic post and evaluate its flexural strength through a two-point inclined loading test. The proposed fiber post manufacture approach depends upon a braiding technique of the glass fibers’ (GF) reinforcing component with thermoplastic polypropylene (PP) resin fibers that will later represent the resin matrix after thermal melting. Posts were made of different core (70%) and sheath (30%) construction (PP/GF ratios) using three different GF types and seizing pre-treatment to both fiber types. Two-point inclined loading test at 45 °C applied force angle was used to test the posts’ flexural strength. Fiber posts (1.6 mm in diameter) with pure GF (de-sized starch E-GF and pre-silanized S-GF) core, and sheath construction with higher PP/GF ratios, showed the significantly highest two-point bending strength (56.67 ± 4.89 and 53.96 ± 1.81 MPa, respectively), among experimental posts groups (except for the commercial control posts). However, posts with PP core type showed the lowest values (21.59 ± 1.86 and 16.54 ± 1.94 MPa for de-sized and E-glass sheath fibers, respectively). Based on these findings, the proposed approach was reliable in producing fiber-reinforced composite post with the desired dimensions and fiber distribution. Post construction with a pure GF core and higher PP/GF ratio showed considerably higher flexural strength and GF volume fraction comparable to commercial available post types.     

Wear Resistance of the Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite with the Addition of Quartz Filler

The paper presents the results of investigations on the glass fiber reinforced composite for the floor panels with quartz powder additions of different percentages in terms of wear resistance, friction coefficient, hardness, and strength. The wear resistance was assessed using the specific wear work parameter determined by the novel tribotester with friction band. It was found that an increase in quartz powder addition to the tested polymer composite does not enhance its mechanical increasingly properties. From the wear tests it can be concluded that only the composite with four layers of glass fibers and 6 wt.% of the quartz powder exhibited improvement of the wear resistance, but its shear strength was lower than that of the two layer specimens with similar powder proportions. On the other hand, the highest friction coefficient’s, which is microhardness HV₀₅, shear strength and impact strength were attained for the composite with two layers of glass fibers and 3 wt.% of the quartz powder. Among four layer samples, very close results were obtained for the samples with 10% of powder and insignificantly lower strength were observed for the samples with no powder added. The results revealed that there is no clear trend for the effect of silica filler percentage on the composite performance, which indicates the need for individual purpose-dependent decision making in the design of the glass fiber reinforced composites with quartz powder filler.     

Thermal and mechanical behavior of biocomposites using additive manufacturing

Research on additive manufacturing (AM) has gained significant attention in recent years. In this study, two different matrices of polypropylene and polylactic acid materials filled with three different percentages of wood flour were employed; namely 10, 20, and 30%. Biocomposite filaments (developed by twin screw extrusion) were further used in AM by fused deposition modeling (FDM) to obtain testing samples for the characterization of the tensile and flexural properties through mechanical testing. Tensile and flexural mechanical properties of the composite material obtained by AM-FDM were compared against those obtained by injection molding. Experimental results showed that samples obtained with a percentage of 20% of wood flour showed lower mechanical properties, while those obtained at 30% testing samples turned very brittle. Mechanical properties like flexural stiffness were higher in the testing samples obtained by injection molding compared to those by AM-FDM. To understand the thermal behavior of the composites, specimens were subjected to TGA experimentation. Experimental results show an analysis of the optimum temperatures for processing the composites through AM, and provide evidence that these composites could potentially be applied in the design of auto parts due to their biodegradability and mechanical strength.     

Investigation of Wood Flour Size,Aspect Ratios,and Injection Molding Temperature on Mechanical Properties of Wood Flour/Polyethylene Composites

In the present research, wood flour reinforced polyethylene polymer composites with a coupling agent were prepared by injection molding. The effects of wood flour size, aspect ratios, and mold injection temperature on the composites’ mechanical properties were investigated. For the preparation of the polymer composites, five different formulations were created. The mechanical properties including tensile strength and the modulus, flexural strength and the modulus, and impact energy were measured. To investigate the changes in the properties resulting from different compositions, mechanical static and impact testing was performed. The obtained results indicate that by reducing the flour size, the tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength, and impact energy were reduced. In contrast, the flexural modulus increased. Furthermore, with the increment of injection molding temperature, the tensile strength and the modulus and the impact energy of the specimens were reduced. On the other hand, the flexural strength and the modulus increased. Thus, an optimized amount of injection molding temperature can provide improvements in the mechanical properties of the composite.     

The Influence of MMA Esterification on Interfacial Adhesion and Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Kenaf Bast/Glass Fiber Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composites

The demand for natural fiber hybrid composites for various applications has increased, which is leading to more research being conducted on natural fiber hybrid composites due to their promising mechanical properties. However, the incompatibility of natural fiber with polymer matrix limits the performance of the natural fiber hybrid composite. In this research work, the mechanical properties and fiber-to-matrix interfacial adhesion were investigated. The efficiency of methyl methacrylate (MMA)-esterification treatments on composites’ final product performance was determined. The composite was prepared using the hand lay-up method with varying kenaf bast fiber (KBF) contents of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 (weight%) and hybridized with glass fiber (GF) at 5 and 10 (weight%). Unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) were used as binders and catalysts, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to examine the effects of MMA-esterification treatment on tensile strength and morphology (tensile fracture and characterization of MMA-esterification treatment) of the composite fabricated. The tensile strength of MMA-treated reinforced UPE and hybrid composites are higher than that of untreated composites. As for MMA treatment, 90 min of treatment showed the highest weight percent gain (WPG) and tensile strength of KBF-reinforced UPE composites. It can be concluded that the esterification of MMA on the KBF can lead to better mechanical properties and adhesion between the KFB and the UPE matrix. This research provides a clear reference for developing hybrid natural fibers, thus contributing to the current field of knowledge related to GF composites, specifically in transportation diligences due to their properties of being lightweight, superior, and involving low production cost.     

Development of Toughened Flax Fiber Reinforced Composites. Modification of Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Blends by Reactive Extrusion Process

The presented study focuses on the development of flax fiber (FF) reinforced composites prepared with the use of poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)—PLA/PBAT blend system. This type of modification was aimed to increase impact properties of PLA-based composites, which are usually characterized by high brittleness. The PLA/PBAT blends preparation was carried out using melt blending technique, while part of the samples was prepared by reactive extrusion process with the addition of chain extender (CE) in the form of epoxy-functionalized oligomer. The properties of unreinforced blends was evaluated using injection molded samples. The composite samples were prepared by compression molding technique, while flax fibers reinforcement was in the form of plain fabric. The properties of the laminated sheets were investigated during mechanical test measurements (tensile, flexural, impact). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis was used to determine the thermal properties, while dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and heat deflection temperature (HDT) measurements were conducted in order to measure the thermomechanical properties. Research procedure was supplemented with structure evaluation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The comparative study reveals that the properties of PLA/PBAT-based composites were more favorable, especially in the context of impact resistance improvement. However, for CE modified samples also the modulus and strength was improved. Structural observations after the impact tests confirmed the presence of the plastic deformation of PLA/PBAT matrix, which confirmed the favorable properties of the developed materials. The use of PBAT phase as the impact modifier strongly reduced the PLA brittleness, while the reactive extrusion process improves the fiber-matrix interactions leading to higher stiffness and strength.     

Cement-Matrix Composites Using CFRP Waste: A Circular Economy Perspective Using Industrial Symbiosis

This study aims to provide a mitigation strategy for reducing the economic and environmental impacts of carbon fiber wastes deriving from automotive industry. Recycling and reuse in the construction industry is proposed, according to an industrial symbiosis within a circular economy perspective. Specifically, the process consists of repurposing carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) scraps/waste into new cement-matrix composites, for which the resulting benefits, in terms of mechanical and environmental performance, are herein described. An experimental campaign, starting with a specific heat treatment of CFRP sheets and an accurate dimensional distribution analysis of the short carbon fibers, is presented. The influence of the fiber content and length on both the workability and the mechanical performance of cement-based carbon fiber reinforced mortars is also evaluated. A reduced amount of either sand or cement (up to 8% and 12.8% in volume, respectively) is also considered in the mix design of the fiber reinforced mortars and derives from the substitution of the sand or binder with an equivalent volume of CFRP fibers. The results show a satisfactory increase in compressive and flexural strength in the range 10–18% for the samples characterized by a volume fraction of fibers of approximately 4% and having a 2–5 mm length. Finally, a life cycle assessment (LCA, 14040/14044) was carried out to quantify the environmental burden reductions associated with the implementation of the proposed symbiotic scheme.     

Evaluation of New Hollow Sleeve Composites for Direct Post-Core Construction

The preset shape and diameter of a prefabricated FRC post rarely follows the anatomy of the root canal. To solve this problem, a new hollow sleeve composite (HSC) system for post-core construction was developed and characterized. A woven fiber was impregnated with two types of resins: Bis-GMA or PMMA, and rolled into cylinders with outer diameter of 2 mm and two different inner diameters, namely 1.2 or 1.5 mm. The commercial i-TFC system was used as a control. Dual-cure resin composite was injected into these sleeves. Additionally, conventional solid fiber post was used as the inner part of the sleeve. The three-point bending test was used to measure the mechanical properties of the specimens and the fracture surface was examined using an electron microscope (SEM). The HSC (1.5 mm, Bis-GMA) revealed a statistically similar flexural modulus but higher flexural strength (437 MPa) compared to i-TFC (239 MPa; ANOVA, p < 0.05). When a fiber post was added inside, all values had a tendency to increase. After hydrothermal accelerated aging, the majority of specimens showed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in flexural strength and modulus. SEM fracture analysis confirmed that the delamination occurred at the interface between the outer and inner materials. The HSC system provided flexibility but still high mechanical values compared to the commercial system. Thus, this system might offer an alternative practical option for direct post-core construction.     

Development and Characterization of Lightweight Geopolymer Composite Reinforced with Hybrid Carbon and Steel Fibers

The aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of hybrid fiber reinforcement on the properties of a lightweight fly ash-based geopolymer. The matrix includes the ratio of fly ash and microspheres at 1:1. Carbon and steel fibers have been chosen due to their high mechanical properties as reinforcement. Short steel fibers (SFs) and/or carbon fibers (CFs) were used as reinforcement in the following proportions: 2.0% wt. CFs, 1.5% wt. CFs and 0.5% wt. SFs, 1.0% wt. CFs and 1.0% wt. SFs, 0.5% wt. CFs and 1.5% wt. SFs and 2.0% wt. SFs. Hybrid reinforcement of geopolymer composites was used to obtain optimal strength properties, i.e., compressive strength due to steel fiber and bending strength due to carbon fibers. Additionally, reference samples consisting of the geopolymer matrix material itself. After the production of geopolymer composites, their density was examined, and the structure (using scanning electron microscopy) and mechanical properties (i.e., bending and compressive strength) in relation to the type and amount of reinforcement. In addition, to determine the thermal insulation properties of the geopolymer matrix, its thermal conductivity coefficient was determined. The results show that the addition of fiber improved compressive and bending strength. The best compressive strength is obtained for a steel fiber-reinforced composite (2.0% wt.). The best bending strength is obtained for the hybrid reinforced composite: 1.5% wt. CFs and 0.5% wt. SFs. The geopolymer composite is characterized by low thermal conductivity (0.18–0.22 W/m ∙ K) at low density (0.89–0.93 g/cm³).     

Flexural and Impact Behaviors of Mortar Composite Including Carbon Fibers

This study investigated the flexural and impact performances of mortar composite made with carbon fibers (MCCF). Four mortar composites (MCCF1, MCCF2, MCCF3, and MCCF4) were produced, using 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% carbon fibers by volume, respectively. Another mortar composite without any carbon fibers (MCCF0) was prepared for its use as a control mix. The freshly mixed mortar composites were tested for inverted slump cone flow time to ensure they had an adequate workability to cast test specimens under vibration. In addition, all fresh mortar composites were examined for density and air content. The hardened mortar composites were tested for their first-crack flexural strength, ultimate flexural strength, first-crack impact resistance, and ultimate impact resistance. Moreover, the first-crack flexural toughness, ultimate flexural toughness, first-crack impact toughness, and ultimate impact toughness were determined for all hardened mortar composites. The correlations among the hardened properties of the mortar composites were also sought. Finally, the optimum fiber content was defined from the overall test results and considering the costs of the mortar composites. The test results showed that the workability and density of the fresh mortar composite decreased, whereas its air content increased due to the inclusion of carbon fibers. However, MCCF3 possessed the highest density and lowest air content among all MCCF mixes. It also had a higher workability than MCCF4. In the hardened state, the first-crack flexural strength and impact resistance, as well as the ultimate flexural strength and impact resistance of mortar composite, increased significantly with the increasing volume content of carbon fibers. In addition, the first-crack flexural toughness, ultimate flexural toughness, first-crack impact toughness, and ultimate impact toughness increased greatly with the higher volume content of carbon fibers. Strong correlations between the flexural strength and impact resistance, and between the flexural toughness and impact toughness of the mortar composites, were observed. Above all, excellent flexural strength, flexural toughness, impact resistance, and impact toughness values were observed for MCCF4 (4% carbon fibers). The 28-day ultimate flexural strength and impact resistance of MCCF4 increased by 4.6 MPa and 134 blows, respectively, as compared to MCCF0. Moreover, the 28-day ultimate flexural toughness and ultimate impact toughness values of MCCF4 were higher than that of MCCF0, by 3739.7 N-mm and 2703.3 J, respectively. However, MCCF3 (3% carbon fibers) also exhibited a good performance under flexural and impact loadings. Based on the costs of all mortar composites and their performances in both fresh and hardened states, MCCF3 was derived as the best mortar mix. This implies that 3% carbon fibers can be defined as the optimum fiber content in the context of the present study.     

Uniaxial Tensile Behavior,Flexural Properties,Empirical Calculation and Microstructure of Multi-Scale Fiber Reinforced Cement-Based Material at Elevated Temperature

Fire is one of the most unfavorable conditions that cement-based composites can face during their service lives. The uniaxial tensile and flexural tensile properties of the steel-polyvinyl alcohol fiber-calcium carbonate whisker (CW) multi-scale fiber reinforced cement matrix composites (MSFRCs) under high temperatures are studied, including strength, deformation capacity, energy dissipation capacity, and its ability to be assessed through the empirical calculation method. The study showed that with the increase of the treatment temperature, the MSFRC residual bending strength, bending toughness, and tensile strength decreased overall, but the decline was slow at 600 °C. The peak flexural deflection and peak tensile strain of MSFRC first reduced and then increased with the increase of the temperature. As the temperature increased, the nominal stiffness of MSFRC bending and straight gradually reduced, and the rate of decline was faster than that of its strength. However, the uniaxial tensile properties were more sensitive to the temperature and degraded more rapidly. A quantitative relationship was established between MSFRC residual bending, tensile strength, and temperature. A comparison with existing research results shows that MSFRC has achieved an ideal effect of high temperature resistance. The multi-scale hybrid fiber system significantly alleviates the deterioration of cement-based composite’s mechanical properties under high temperatures. With the help of an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM), the high temperature influence mechanism on the uniaxial tensile and flexural properties of MSFRC was revealed.     

Self-Healing Capability of Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites for Recovery of Watertightness and Mechanical Properties

Various types of fiber reinforced cementitious composites (FRCCs) were experimentally studied to evaluate their self-healing capabilities regarding their watertightness and mechanical properties. Cracks were induced in the FRCC specimens during a tensile loading test, and the specimens were then immersed in static water for self-healing. By water permeability and reloading tests, it was determined that the FRCCs containing synthetic fiber and cracks of width within a certain range (<0.1 mm) exhibited good self-healing capabilities regarding their watertightness. Particularly, the high polarity of the synthetic fiber (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) series and hybrid fiber reinforcing (polyethylene (PE) and steel code (SC)) series showed high recovery ratio. Moreover, these series also showed high potential of self-healing of mechanical properties. It was confirmed that recovery of mechanical property could be obtained only in case when crack width was sufficiently narrow, both the visible surface cracks and the very fine cracks around the bridging of the SC fibers. Recovery of the bond strength by filling of the very fine cracks around the bridging fibers enhanced the recovery of the mechanical property.     

Optimization of the Fine to Coarse Aggregate Ratio for the Workability and Mechanical Properties of High Strength Steel Fiber Reinforced Concretes

High-strength concrete is used to provide quality control for concrete structures, yet it has the drawback of brittleness. The inclusion of fibers improves the ductility of concrete but negatively affects the fresh properties of fiber-reinforced concrete. The effects of different fine to coarse aggregate ratios on the fresh and hardened properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete were investigated in this study. Mixtures were prepared with various fine to coarse aggregate (FA/CA) ratios incorporating 1% steel fiber content (by volume) at constant water to cement ratio. The workability, unit weight, and temperature of the concrete in the fresh state, and the mechanical properties of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) were investigated. The inclusion of fiber in concrete influenced the mobility of concrete in the fresh state by acting as a barrier to the movement of coarse aggregate. It was observed that the concrete with an FA/CA ratio above 0.8 showed better flowability in the fresh state, whilst an above 0.9 FA/CA ratio requires excessive superplasticizer to maintain the flowability of the mixtures. The compressive and flexural strength of SFRC increased with an increase in the FA/CA ratio by around 10% and 28%, respectively. Experimental values of compressive strength and flexural strength showed good agreement, however, modulus of elasticity demonstrated slightly higher values. The experimentally obtained measurements of the mechanical properties of SFRC conformed reasonably well with the available existing prediction equations, and further enabled establishing predictive isoresponse interactive equations within the scope of the investigation domain.