Highly Dissipative Fiber-Reinforced Concrete for Structural Screeds
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34, Issue 4
Abstract
Synthetic fibers, especially polypropylene (PP) fibers, are emerging as a viable reinforcement for concrete, on account of their excellent durability, affordability, anti-spalling capability, low density, and magnetic transparency. Yet, the chemical nature of PP hinders the development of strong bonds at the fiber-to-matrix interface, with negative effects on the mechanical performance. To overcome this difficulty, in this research fibers are either chemically attacked (etched) or coated through sol-gel nanosilica deposition in order to promote their affinity to the hydration products in the binder. Three-point bending tests at different scales are carried out on unnotched specimens, including large-scale beams consisting of PP-reinforced concrete for structural screeds. Functionalization, especially in the form of silica coating, improves the binder-fiber interaction, which is responsible for a remarkable increment in the specific energy dissipated at failure, with respect to untreated fibers. Most importantly, both surface treatments induce a substantial hardening response as opposed to the softening behavior that is characteristic of low-dosage fiber-reinforced concrete. We conclude that surface functionalization, and especially nanosilica coating, offers significant advantages for better exploiting the reinforcing effect of PP fibers, and these carry over at different scales. In particular, results appear promising for screeds, which advocate optimal mechanical performance and durability while keeping the fiber content to a minimum.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The contribution and the expertise of Gianni Ercolani at the Materials and Structures Laboratory of the University of the Republic of San Marino (RSM) are gratefully acknowledged. The authors are also grateful for the help of Martina Arletti and Fabio Menghini in specimen preparation. The precious support by Prof. Sergio D’Addato, from the “SESAMO–Ragno-2 Laboratory” (Department of Physical, Mathematical and Computer Sciences of the University of Modena e Reggio Emilia), in XPS tests and analysis is also recognized. AN and CS warmly acknowledge the financial support of “Progetto IMPReSA,” CUP E81F18000310009 within the strategic industrial research projects (POR-FESR 2014/2020–asse 1.2.2).
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34 • Issue 4 • April 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 12, 2021
Accepted: Aug 23, 2021
Published online: Jan 21, 2022
Published in print: Apr 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jun 21, 2022
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