TENSILE AND COMPRESSION PROPERTIES OF STEEL FIBERREINFORCED COMPOSITES - EFFECT OF FIBER VOLUMEFRACTION AND POROSITY

摘要

Steel fibers are commonly used to reinforce concrete for several applications in the constructionindustry, whereas steel fiber reinforcement of polymers is a relatively new area in thecomposites field. The aims of this study were to use steel fibers in order to make unidirectionalfiber reinforced composites (SFRC) by a standard manufacturing technique, vacuum infusion.The current study also considers investigating the effects of the fiber volume fraction andporosity on the mechanical properties of SFRC. An optical microscopy examination ofspecimens indicated small pores observed surrounding the fiber surfaces. Composites with fibervolume fractions of (Vf) - 33%, 48%, and 72% were produced and tested for mechanicalproperties such as tensile and compression properties. The compression strength values aresignificantly reduced at higher fiber volume fractions i.e. 72 vol.% due to the presence ofporosity.