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Effect of polypropylene fibers on the fracture behavior of heated ultra-high performance concrete

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Abstract

In this work we assess the effect of the addition of polypropylene (PP) fibers in a heated ultra-high-performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). To this end, three sets of specimens with identical cementitious materials were manufactured: plain concrete, a concrete reinforced exclusively with steel fibers and a concrete reinforced with steel and polypropylene fibers. The mechanical and fracture properties of each concrete at temperatures ranging from room temperature to \(300\,^\circ \)C were determined. A thorough appraisal of the thermal effect on the microstructure was also carried out by means of an X-ray scan analysis. Based on the testing data, the relation between the macroscopic response, including mechanical and fracture behavior, and the microscopic structure, i.e., size and number of pores and their distribution, is ascertained. The results show that the addition of PP fibers significantly increases the maximum pore size and slightly increases the total porosity. Furthermore, the partial melting of polypropylene fibers at \(300\,^\circ \)C, in combination with the rise in porosity, reduces thermal damage and results in similar behavior at low and high temperatures, room temperature and \(300\,^\circ \)C, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

This research has been funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain under grant numbers BIA2016-75431-R and DPI2015-66534-R.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla, 41092, Sevilla, Spain

    J. D. Ríos, H. Cifuentes, C. Leiva & M. P. Ariza

  2. Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

    M. Ortiz

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  1. J. D. Ríos
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  2. H. Cifuentes
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Correspondence to H. Cifuentes.

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Ríos, J.D., Cifuentes, H., Leiva, C. et al. Effect of polypropylene fibers on the fracture behavior of heated ultra-high performance concrete. Int J Fract 223, 173–187 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-019-00407-4

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