Properties of flowable sand concretes reinforced by polypropylene fibers

摘要

This paper presents an experimental research on fresh and hardened properties of flowable sand concretes (FSC) reinforced by polypropylene fibers (PF). Tests were conducted on both plain and fiber-reinforced FSC. The fresh properties are tested for viscosity using a programmable DV-II + viscometer. For the physical and mechanical properties, drying shrinkage, flexural, and compressive strengths, as well as micro-structural analyses have been studied. Results indicate that all studied mixtures have a pseudo-plastic behavior in fresh state and can be well fitted using power law model. Results also confirmed that PF incorporation increases the viscosity and reduces free shrinkage of FSC. In terms of mechanical strength, results show that incorporating PF would enhance flexural strength. However, a reduction in compressive strength is observed.