The Investigation of Abrasion Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Self Compacting Concrete Containing Polypropylene Fibers

Abstract

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) was first developed in Japan in the late 1980s as a material that can flow through congested reinforcing bars without need for additional consolidation and without undergoing any significant separation under its own weight. In this study, the optimum polypropylene fiber content, which maintain the self-compactability and stability, was determined for SCCs incorporating polypropylene fibers and fly ash as mineral additive. SCC mixtures were prepared with water to cement ratio of 0.33 and polypropylene fibers amount was from 0.5 % to 2 % by volume for the mixtures. Workability of SCC was determined using slump- flow and T-50 time. In addition, the mechanical performance and abrasion resistance of SCCs were determined by using these fibers. The hardened properties that were determined included abrasion resistance and compressive strength at 28 and 56 and 90 days. The results showed that incorporating polypropylene fibers improved mechanical properties, particularly the abrasion resistance of SCG. It was shown that using 1.5 % by volume polypropylene fibers in the fly ash additive mixtures increases compressive strength and especially the abrasion performance of the SCC.