Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

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Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tafmec

Effect of polypropylene fibers on the mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode T

fracture toughness and crack propagation in fiber-reinforced concrete
⁎
Mitra Hatami Jorbat, Mehdi Hosseini , Mahdi Mahdikhani
Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Concrete is the most commonly used material in civil engineering and also the most conventional and cheap
Crack propagation material available in the market. Concrete cracking and fracturing may cause irreparable damages to concrete
Fracture toughness structures. Hence, fiber-reinforced concretes have been introduced in recent years as a strategy to eliminate
Fiber-reinforced concrete these drawbacks to a large extent. In this study, crack propagation and the fracture toughness of concrete
Brazilian disc
specimens without polypropylene (PP) fibers and those containing 0.2, 0.35, and 0.5 vol% of PP fibers were
Mode I
Mode II
investigated through testing the straight notched Brazilian disc specimens. Furthermore, crack propagation from
Mixed-mode I/II the pre-existing cracks in the specimens was investigated, and the mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode I/II fracture
toughness were also calculated. The Brazilian disc (BD) test was performed on the specimens at different in-
clination angles of 0, 15, 28.83, 60, 75, and 90° relative to the direction of pre-existing cracks. According to the
experimental results, at angles less than 75° (0 < α less than 75), the wing cracks initiated from the tip of pre-
existing cracks, and as the loading continues, the path of crack propagation and growth approaches the loading
direction. At angles equal to or greater than 75°, the crack initiated with a distance d from the crack tip. This
distance was larger in the fiber-free specimens than in the fiber-reinforced specimens. The results showed that
the mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode I/II fracture toughness of the specimen containing 0.35 vol% of PP fibers
were higher than the fracture toughness of the fiber-free specimens or those containing other PP fiber levels.

1. Introduction caused cracking, fracturing, and sudden collapse over time.

Accordingly, there has been recently a great interest in natural ad-
Primary cracks and fractures in rocks and other engineering mate- ditives along with conventional materials to preserve the load-bearing
rials are inevitable, but depending on the properties of each material, capacity of concrete structures against severe stresses through im-
some structures or rock masses may more quickly experience rupture proving both compressive and tensile strengths [4]. Despite a good
under mechanical loads or other environmental factors [1]. Brittle pre- compressive strength, concrete suffers from a low tensile and bending
cracked rock materials (pre-existing cracks) are usually under com- strength and ductility. By adding polymeric fibers to concrete and
pressive loading in the nature. The mechanism of crack propagation in fabrication of fiber-reinforced concretes in the recent years, efforts have
the rocks is of great importance for the design of rock structures. been made to eliminate these drawbacks to a large extent. Fibers play a
Pseudo-rock samples are usually used for the experimental study of key role in improving the above-mentioned drawbacks during concrete
crack propagation in rocks due to availability, repeatability, and com- cracking. Random distribution of fibers and their directions in the fiber-
parability with the results reported in the literature [2]. Moreover, reinforced concrete prevents crack formation and growth in various
concrete is a pseudo-rock material with widespread applications in the regions and directions by bridging the two crack edges [5]. The use of
maintenance system of underground spaces including road tunnels and fibers is considered a solution to control the crack behavior in brittle
subways, dams, bridges, concrete pavement, and building construction. materials. The first applications of fiber-reinforced materials include
Concrete is considered the most widely used material in civil en- clay cottages reinforced by straws and masonry mortars reinforced by
gineering, and its mix design should be determined in accordance with animal hairs. Various types of fibers, including steel, synthetic, and
application, material type, and environmental conditions [3]. natural fibers, are available for commercial applications [6]. The fiber
Traditionally, the occurrence of mechanical stresses in the conven- content in the concretes reinforced with polymeric, cellulose or glass
tional concrete structures made of the most common cheap materials fibers ranges from 0.1 to 0.3 vol%. For example, 1 to 3 L of PP fibers is

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (M. Hosseini).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tafmec.2020.102723
Received 7 May 2020; Received in revised form 22 July 2020; Accepted 27 July 2020
Available online 30 July 2020
0167-8442/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

used per cubic meter of concrete. Considering a density of 0.9 for the PP Table 1
fibers, a total of 0.9 to 2.7 kg of fibers is used per cubic meter of con- The mix design of the concrete reinforced with PP fibers.
crete [7]. Weight per cubic meter of concrete (kg) Components
Polypropylene (PP) fibers have been synthesized of the PP homo-
polymer resin as a cheap raw material in different shapes and sizes with 350 Type 2 Portland cement
1150 Gravel
different properties [8]. PP fibers are used to reduce the brittleness of
700 Sand
concrete and, thereby, its sensitivity to cracking [9]. Commonly, PP 1.82, 3.185, 4.55 Fibers
fibers with a length of 12 and 18 mm are used for mixing with concrete 0.2, 0.35, 0.5 Fibers (vol% of concrete)
[10]. To prevent concrete spalling in fires, 0.35 vol% of PP fibers should 0.8 Superplasticizer (wt% of the cement)
be used in the concrete mix design [3]. 0.4 Water/cement ratio

A pre-cracked object may be exposed to stresses in three different

ways. Normal stresses cause crack mouth opening (mode I), which re-
fers to those crack surfaces displaced perpendicular to the crack plane.
Shear stresses applied along the crack plane cause crack propagation in
the sliding mode (mode II), which refers to those crack surfaces dis-
placed in the crack plane perpendicular to the external crack edge. The
rupture mode (mode III) occurs by applying out-of-plane shear stresses.
In this case, the crack surfaces are displaced in the crack plane per-
pendicular to its side edges [11].
Fracture mechanics estimates critical conditions for a pre-cracked
object using the stress intensity at the crack tip. Determines the local
stress at the crack tip, the stress intensity factor (K) is dependent on
loading, crack size, crack shape, and geometrical boundaries. The cri-
tical stress intensity, called the fracture toughness, is a function of
Fig. 2. The PVC pipes used for preparation of BD specimens to determine their
temperature, environment, loading rate, and microscopic structure
physcial and mechanical properties.
[12]. Multiple experimental tests have been conducted through pres-
sure loading to study the fracture process in the rock and pseudo-rock
samples containing pre-existing cracks [13]. According to the literature,
cracks formed under compressive stresses include the wing and sec-
ondary cracks (Fig. 1). Preexisting cracks serve as stress concentrators
and, therefore, they locally change the state of stress, leading to the
formation of tension cracks, even under overall compressive loads. It
has been demonstrated experimentally and supported by theoretical
models that tension cracks of this kind, nucleate and grow in a highly
preferential manner [14]. Wing cracks are tensile cracks that initiate
from the vicinity of the tip of pre-existing cracks and propagate along
the maximum pressure direction curvilinearly. Secondary cracks are, in
fact, shear cracks that initiate from the crack tip and are classified into
two categories: (1) planar or coplanar cracks, and (2) oblique cracks.
Coplanar cracks are formed relatively along the existing flaw plane,
whereas the oblique cracks are out of this plane and are formed with a Fig. 3. The cylindrical conceret specimens used for determining their physical
larger angle relative to the pre-existing flaw [2]. and mechanical propertes.
Crack coalescence occurs in most cases by the secondary cracks.
Oblique secondary cracks formed relatively parallel to the wing cracks
are only observed in few cases [15].
Numerous studies have been conducted on the effect of PP fibers on

Fig. 4. The molds constructed for preparation of CSNBD concrete specimens.

the physical and mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced concrete

specimens. The results in the literature indicate that addition of dif-
ferent levels of fiber contents has different effects on the properties of
Fig. 1. Various types of cracks observed in the rock specimens containing pre- fiber-reinforced concrete. Sung and Hwang [16] investigated properties
existing cracks under pressure loading [2]

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M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

Table 2 and 90°. According to the results, the crack propagated from its tip at
Specifications of the PP fibers [28] inclination angles less than 60°. In contrast, at inclination angles larger
18 Diameter (μm) than 75°, the tensile cracks in the specimens occurred close to the center
of the crack. It seems that at inclination angles less than 60°, propa-
0.91 Density (g/cm3) gation of pre-existing cracks led to the failure of specimens. However,
5 Modulus of elasticity (GPa)
the fracture was not affected by the cracks formed at inclination angles
0.5 Tensile strength (GPa)
140–150 Softening point (°C)
equal to or larger than 75° due to the decrease in the mode I stress
160–170 Melting point (°C) intensity factor at the crack tip.
Golewski and Sadowski [22] examined the effect of fly ash (FA)
additive on the parameter KIIIc. In order to determine the fracture
Table 3 toughness KIIIc a special device was manufactured. Experimental in-
Physical properties of the conventional and PP fiber-reinforced concrete spe- vestigation under Mode III loading was carried out both on young and
cimens. mature concrete composites (after 3, 7, 28, 90, 180 and 365 days). A
Effective porosity Longitudinal waves Fiber type Fiber percentage 20% addition of FA as well as a 30% addition of FA causes a reduction
(%) velocity(m/s) in fracture toughness of young concrete. After 28 days of curing, a
significant increase of the KIIIc was noticed in composites with a 20%
6.37 4892 — conventional
additive of FA while concrete mixtures with a 30% additive of FA still
concrete
6.53 4838 pp 0.2 had lower analyzed fracture mechanics parameters.
6.61 4784 pp 0.35 Golewski in another research investigated effect of siliceous fly ash
6.82 4721 pp 0.5 additive on the critical stress intensity factor KIIIc of plain concrete
(after 28 days of curing). The analysis of the results revealed that a 20%
FA additive causes increase in KIIIc, while a 30% FA additive causes
Table 4 decrease in fracture toughness. Furthermore, it was observed that the
Mechanical properties of the conventional and PP fiber-reinforced concrete
results obtained during fracture toughness tests are convergent with the
specimens.
values of the compression strength tests [23].
Brazilian tensile Uniaxial compressive Fiber type Fiber percentage Macroscopically, the fracture surfaces of specimens were planar.
strength (MPa) strength (MPa) Scanning microscopic observations (SEM) indicate that in the fracture
5.42 35.29 — conventional surfaces, multilevel cracks occur in the shape of semicircles [24].
concrete SEM observations indicated that the longest cracks in interfacial
5.51 34.18 pp 0.2 transition zone between paste and coarse aggregates took place in the
5.92 37.09 pp 0.35 concretes containing 30% FA [25].
5.59 36.24 pp 0.5
Luo et al. [26] studied crack initiation and propagation in BD spe-
cimens of marble rock at inclination angles of 0, 18, 36, 54, and 72°.
of concretes reinforced with steel fibers and reported that the com- When the crack was parallel to the loading direction, new cracks were
pressive strength of concretes reinforced with 0.5, 1.5, and 2% of steel formed at the crack tip and began to propagate along the loading di-
fibers increased by 7, 15.3, and 12.9%, respectively. Choi and Yuan rection. Wing cracks were formed at the tip of cracks at low inclination
[17] found that the compressive strength of concrete reinforced with 1 angles (β = 18°). With increasing the inclination angle, the initiation of
and 1.5% of PP fibers decreased by 0.4 and 16.5%, respectively, wing cracks deviated from the crack tip towards the center of the disc.
whereas the tensile strength of the concrete reinforced with the same PP In the case where the crack angle was perpendicular to the loading
levels increased by 16 and 16.6%, respectively [17]. Karahan and Atis direction, the wing cracks did not initiate from the pre-existing crack
[9] showed that the compressive strength of the concrete reinforced tip. With increasing the load, the wing cracks propagated towards the
with 0.05% of fibers increased by 2.4%, but that of the concrete re- loading point. Once the wing cracks moved through the specimen, the
inforced with 0.1 and 0.2% of fibers decreased by 1.9 and 3%, re- secondary cracks, which were relatively parallel to the main central
spectively. This decrease in the compressive strength can be attributed crack (coplanar secondary cracks), were only formed at relatively large
to the presence of voids caused by fibers as well as weak bonding be- inclination angles (β = 54°, 72°).
tween the fibers and cement grains. Aslani and Najadi [18] added The centrally straight-notched Brazilian disc (CSNBD) concrete
0.38 vol% of steel fibers and 0.55 vol% of PP fibers to the concrete and specimens without PP fibers and those containing 0.2, 0.35, and 0.5 vol
observed an increase of 10 and 2.7% in the compressive strength of the % of PP fibers were tested to predict crack propagation and fracture
reinforced concrete, respectively. The tensile strength of the concrete toughness. Furthermore, crack propagation from the pre-existing cracks
reinforced with steel fibers increased by 19%, but that of the concrete in the specimens as well as the mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode I/II
reinforced with PP fibers decreased by 3.5%. Taheri Fard et al. [19] fracture toughness were calculated. The Brazilian disc test was per-
found that the compressive strength of the concrete reinforced with 0.1, formed on the specimens at inclination angles of 0, 15, 28.8, 45, 60, 75,
0.2, and 0.3% of PP fibers reduced by 2.5, 4.9, and 11.5%, respectively. and 90° relative to the direction of pre-existing cracks. The effects of
Few studies are available on the mixed-mode fracture toughness and various levels of PP fibers on the mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode I/II
crack propagation in concretes. Erarslan [20] tested cracked chevron fracture toughness as well as crack propagation were investigated si-
notched Brazilian disc (CCNBD) concrete specimens at crack inclination multaneously. According to the literature, the BD tests have been
angles (β) of 0, 30, 45, and 70°. As the crack inclination angle increased mainly conducted to evaluate the fracture toughness and crack propa-
relative to the loading direction (β greater than 30°), the crack initia- gation in rocks or fiber-free concrete and mortar. In addition to the
tion site was displaced towards the center of the pre-existing crack. At fiber-free concrete, the novelty of this study is to test concrete speci-
an inclination angle of 0°, the crack was formed perpendicular to the mens reinforced with PP fibers.
tensile stress plane and propagated parallel to the loading direction.
With increasing the inclination angle, the crack grew curvilinearly to- 2. Experimental work
wards the loading point. Qazvinian et al. [21] tested centrally straight-
notched Brazilian disc (CSNBD) specimens made of pozzolanic cement, 2.1. Preparation of specimens
plaster and water at crack inclination angles of 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75,
The same mix design was used to prepare the concrete specimens

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M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

Table 5
Fracture toughness of the conventional and PP fiber-reinforced concrete specimens.
Specimen code Loading angle (°) Fiber content (vol% of concrete) Fracture mode Crack initiation angle (°) KIC)MPa∙m1/2( KIIC)MPa∙m1/2( Keff)MPa∙m1/2(

1–1 0 0 I 0 0.48 0 0.48

1–2 0 0 I 0 0.51 0 0.51
1–3 0 0 I 0 0.39 0 0.39
1–4 15 0 Mixed 21.1 0.31 0.46 0.55
1–5 15 0 Mixed 21.6 0.31 0.47 0.56
1–6 15 0 Mixed 23 0.31 0.47 0.56
1–7 28.83 0 II 25.1 0 0.59 0.59
1–8 28.83 II 32.4 0 0.74 0.74
1–9 28.83 0 II 28.5 0 0.71 0.71
1–10 45 0 Mixed 37.7 −0.43 0.78 0.89
1–11 45 0 Mixed 41.2 −0.42 0.77 0.88
1–12 45 0 Mixed 37.7 −0.42 0.75 0.86
1–13 60 0 Mixed 76.8 −0.73 0.59 0.94
1–14 60 0 Mixed 73.6 −0.83 0.68 1.07
1–15 60 0 Mixed 75.1 −0.79 0.65 1.02
1–16 75 0 Mixed 86.7 −1.17 0.41 1.24
1–17 75 0 Mixed 87 −1.24 0.43 1.31
1–18 75 0 Mixed 85 −1.25 0.43 1.32
1–19 90 0 I 90 −1.39 0 1.39
1–20 90 0 I 90 −1.36 0 1.36
1–21 90 0 I 90 −1.31 0 1.31
A1 0 0.2 I 0 0.44 0 0.44
A2 0 0.2 I 0 0.51 0 0.51
A3 0 0.2 I 0 0.53 0 0.53
F1 15 0.2 Mixed 30 0.35 0.52 0.63
F2 15 0.2 Mixed 34.5 0.31 0.46 0.55
F3 15 0.2 Mixed 28.6 0.40 0.60 0.72
B1 28.83 0.2 II 35.9 0 0.76 0.76
B2 28.83 0.2 II 37.2 0 0.72 0.72
B3 28.83 0.2 II 43.5 0 0.72 0.72
F5 45 0.2 Mixed 50.2 −0.48 0.88 1
F6 45 0.2 Mixed 51.5 −0.47 0.86 0.98
F4 45 0.2 Mixed 53 −0.49 0.89 1.02
D1 60 0.2 Mixed 72.1 −0.89 0.71 1.14
D2 60 0.2 Mixed 79.5 −0.87 0.69 1.11
D3 60 0.2 Mixed 75.3 −0.89 0.72 1.14
D4 75 0.2 Mixed 84.4 −1.30 0.45 1.38
D5 75 0.2 Mixed 85.4 −1.18 0.41 1.25
D6 75 0.2 Mixed 89 −1.18 0.41 1.25
H1 90 0.2 I 90 −1.36 0 1.36
H2 90 0.2 I 90 −1.38 0 1.38
H3 90 0.2 I 90 −1.35 0 1.35
PP-B-1 0 0.35 I 0 0.53 0 0.53
PP-B-2 0 0.35 I 0 0.54 0 0.54
o-PP-B-1 0 0.35 I 0 0.51 0 0.51
pp-B-3 15 0.35 Mixed 37.3 0.34 0.55 0.65
pp-B-4 15 0.35 Mixed 37.3 0.36 0.54 0.65
o-pp-B-2 15 0.35 Mixed 37 0.37 0.51 0.63
pp-B-5 28.83 0.35 II 38.5 0 0.87 0.87
pp-B-6 28.83 0.35 II 39 0 0.78 0.78
pp-B-7 28.83 0.35 II 41 0 0.81 0.81
pp-B-8 45 0.35 Mixed 52.6 −0.49 0.88 1.01
pp-B-9 45 0.35 Mixed 54.6 −0.48 0.87 0.99
o-pp-B-3 45 0.35 Mixed 50.1 −0.49 0.89 1.02
pp-B-10 60 0.35 Mixed 78.1 −0.88 0.72 1.14
pp-B-11 60 0.35 Mixed 79.1 −0.89 0.72 1.14
o-pp-B-4 60 0.35 Mixed 78.7 −0.93 0.76 1.20
pp-B-12 75 0.35 Mixed 86 −1.29 0.45 1.37
pp-B-13 75 0.35 Mixed 89 −1.16 0.40 1.23
o-PP-B-5 75 0.35 Mixed 87 −1.27 0.44 1.34
pp-B-14 90 0.35 I 90 −1.41 0 1.41
pp-B-15 90 0.35 I 90 −1.26 0 1.26
o-pp-B-6 90 0.35 I 90 −1.52 0 1.52
P1B1 0 0.5 I 0 0.52 0 0.52
D-PP1-B1 0 0.5 I 0 0.51 0 0.51
D-PP2-B2 0 0.5 I 0 0.49 0 0.49
P2B2 15 0.5 Mixed 29 0.34 0.52 0.62
D-PP3-B3 15 0.5 Mixed 28.5 0.35 0.52 0.63
D-PP4-B4 15 0.5 Mixed 31.7 0.38 0.57 0.68
P3B3 28.83 0.5 II 38.3 0 0.76 0.76
D-PP5-B5 28.83 0.5 II 40.9 0 0.83 0.83
D-PP6-B6 28.83 0.5 II 43.9 0 0.81 0.81
P4B4 45 0.5 Mixed 48.1 −0.50 0.89 1.02
D-PP7-B7 45 0.5 Mixed 49.8 −0.51 0.91 1.04
(continued on next page)

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M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

Table 5 (continued)

Specimen code Loading angle (°) Fiber content (vol% of concrete) Fracture mode Crack initiation angle (°) KIC)MPa∙m1/2( KIIC)MPa∙m1/2( Keff)MPa∙m1/2(

D-PP8-B8 45 0.5 Mixed 50.7 −0.43 0.79 0.90

P5B5 60 0.5 Mixed 76.6 −0.97 0.78 1.24
D-PP9-B9 60 0.5 Mixed 77.5 −0.90 0.74 1.16
D-PP10-B10 60 0.5 Mixed 81 −0.79 0.64 1.02
P6B6 75 0.5 Mixed 86 −1.23 0.43 1.3
D-PP11-B11 75 0.5 Mixed 87.2 −1.15 0.40 1.22
D-PP12-B12 75 0.5 Mixed 85.8 −1.29 0.45 1.37
P7B7 90 0.5 I 90 −1.38 0 1.38
D-PP13-B13 90 0.5 I 90 −1.36 0 1.36
D-PP14-B14 90 0.5 I 90 −1.40 0 1.40

study the effect of PP fibers on the mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode I/
II fracture toughness and crack propagation in the fiber-reinforced
concrete, a total of 21 Brazilian discs specimens containing 0.2 vol% PP
fibers, 21 specimens containing 0.35 vol% PP fibers, 21 specimens
containing 0.5 vol% PP fibers, and 21 specimens without PP fibers were
prepared with the same mix design with an average thickness and
diameter of 25 and 75 mm, respectively. A crack with an average length
of 15 mm was created in the center of the Brazilian disc. Fig. 4 displays
the mold used for preparation of BD specimens.
The fracture toughness of the specimens was calculated at inclina-
tion angles of 0, 15, 28.8, 45, 60, 75, and 90° with respect to the central
crack and relative to the loading direction.
Table 2 presents specifications of the PP fibers used for preparation
of specimens.

Fig. 5. The geomerty of the BD specimen [29]

2.2. Tests

with and without PP fibers. Considering the uniaxial compressive

A pressure loading test machine capable of recording stress and
strength of conventional concrete is equal to 35 MPa, the water/cement
strain with jaws for the Brazilian test was used to determine the uni-
ratio obtains 0.4 using the Bolomey equation [27].
axial compressive strength and the Brazilian tensile strength. An ul-
The cement used in this study is Type 2 cement, produced by Abik
trasonic device was used to determine the velocity of longitudinal
Cement Company of Qazvin. The aggregates used are also silica, the
waves. A total of 5 specimens were used to determine each of the
grain size of the gravel and sand are less than 9.5 mm (passing through
properties, and the results were presented in Tables 3 to 5. The CSNBD
the 0.375 in. sieve) and 4.75 mm (passing through 4 mesh sieve) re-
specimens were tested to determine the fracture toughness. This test
spectively.
was developed by Awaji and Sato for the mixed-mode fracture of gra-
Table 1 shows the concrete mix designs containing 0.2, 0.35, and
phite, plaster, and marble specimens. Introduced by Atkinson, the stress
0.5 vol% of PP fibers. To investigate the effect of PP fibers on the
intensity factor for this method can be used to determine the mode I,
physical and mechanical properties of the fiber-reinforced concrete
mode II, and mixed-mode I/II fracture toughness [29]. Fig. 5 schema-
specimens, PVC pipes (Fig. 2) were used to prepare cylindrical concrete
tically shows the geometry of the BD specimen.
specimens (Fig. 3). After 28 days, the pipes were cut by the cutterhead
Equations (1) to (5) were used to calculate the mode I, mode II, and
to the intended lengths to be used in the uniaxial compressive strength,
mixed-mode I/II fracture toughness [29]:
triaxial compressive strength, ultrasonic, and effective porosity tests. To

1.5
1.25
1
KIC, KIIC , Keff (MPa·m1/2)

0.75
0.5
0.25
0
-0.25 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
KIC- 0.2 PP
-0.5
-0.75 KIIC- 0.2 PP

-1 KĞī-0.2 PP
-1.25 KIC-0 PP
-1.5 KIIC-0 PP
α (°)
KĞī-0 PP
Fig. 6. KIC-α, KIIC-α, and Keff-α diagrams for the concrete reinforced with 0.2 vol% of PP fibers.

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M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

1.75
1.5
1.25
1

KIC, KIIC, Keff (MPa·m1/2)

0.75
0.5
0.25
0
-0.25 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
-0.5 KIC- 0.35 PP
-0.75 KIIC- 0.35 PP
-1
KĞī-0.35 PP
-1.25
-1.5 KIC-0 PP
-1.75 KIIC-0 PP
α (°)
KĞī-0 PP
Fig. 7. KIC-α, KIIC-α, and Keff-α diagrams for the concrete reinforced with 0.35 vol% of PP fibers.

1.75
1.5
1.25
1
KIC, KIIC , Keff (MPa·m1/2)

0.75
0.5
0.25
0
-0.25 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
-0.5 KIC- 0.5 PP
-0.75 KIIC- 0.5 PP
-1
KĞī-0.5 PP
-1.25
-1.5 KIC-0 PP
-1.75 KIIC-0 PP
α (°)
KĞī-0 PP
Fig. 8. KIC-α, KIIC-α, and Keff-α diagrams for the concrete reinforced with 0.5 vol% of PP fibers.

KIC-α
0.75
0.5
0.25
KIC (MPa·m1/2)

0
-0.25 0 15 28.83 45 60 75 90
-0.5
-0.75 0-PP
-1 0.2-PP
-1.25 0.35-PP
0.5-PP
-1.5
-1.75
α (°)
Fig. 9. The changes in the mode I fracture toughness of the concrete reinfoced with different PP fiber contents with respect to crack inclination angle.

Fmax a Fmax a
KIC = NI KIIC = NII
√ π Rt (1) √ π Rt (3)

a 2
a 2 NII = [2 + (8cos 2 α − 5) ⎛ ⎞ ]sin2α
NI = 1 − 4sin2 α+ 4sin2 α (1 − 4cos 2 α) ⎛ ⎞ R
⎝ ⎠ (4)
⎝R ⎠ (2)
where KIC and KIIC, respectively, represent the mode I and mode II
fracture toughness, Fmax the fracture (failure or breaking) load, R the

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M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

KIIC-α Where Keff shows the effective value of the mixed-mode I/II fracture
1
toughness [30].

3. Results
KIIC (MPa·m1/2)

0.75

The physical, mechanical, and fracture toughness of the specimens

0.5 are presented in Tables 3, 4, and 5, respectively.

0-PP
0.25 4. Analysis of results
0.2-PP
0.35-PP
0 According to the results, the effective porosity increased by 2.5, 3.8,
0.5-PP
0 15 28.83 45 60 75 90 and 7.1% relative to the fiber-free concrete by adding 0.2, 0.35, and
α (°) 0.5 vol% of PP fibers, respectively. Adding 0.2 vol% of PP fibers caused
3.15% reduction in the compressive strength and 1.7% increase in the
Fig. 10. The changes in the mode II fracture toughness of the concrete re-
tensile strength. Adding 0.35 and 0.5 vol% of PP fibers increased the
infoced with different PP fiber contents with respect to crack inclination angle.
compressive strength by 5.1 and 2.7%, respectively, and the tensile
strength by 9.2 and 3.1% relative to the fiber-free concrete, respec-
disc radius, t the disc thickness, a the half-length of the crack, α the tively. The optimal PP fiber content is 0.35 vol% to achieve the highest
crack angle relative to the loading direction, and NI and NII, respec- compressive and tensile strengths.
tively, the dimensionless coefficients for the mode I and mode II when To study crack propagation in different fracture modes, diagrams
a/R is equal to or less than 0.3. The crack angle (α) equals 0 for cal- were plotted and the fracture of specimens was captured with special
culating the pure mode I fracture toughness. To calculate the angle in software, and the results were presented. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 show KIC-α,
the pure mode II, NI in Eq. (2) should be set to 0 [29]. KIIC-α, and Keff-α diagrams for the concrete reinforced with various PP
fiber contents.
K eff = KIc 2 + KIIc 2 (5) As seen, the mode I fracture toughness of the concrete reinforced

Fig. 11. Fracture of the fiber-free concrete specimens.

7
M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

Fig. 12. Fracture of the concrete specimens reinforced with 0.35 vol% of PP fibers.

100 concrete with and without PP fibers are almost the same at inclination
90 angles of 75 and 90°.
Crack iniƟaƟŽn angle (°)

80 As shown in Fig. 7, the mode I fracture toughness of the concrete

70 reinforced with 0.35 vol% of PP fibers increases by 14.3 and 3.2% re-
60 lative to the fiber-free concrete at crack inclination angles of 0 and 90°,
50 respectively. The pure shear mode fracture occurring at an inclination
40 angle of 28.83° increases by 20.6% in the reinforced concrete relative to
30 the fiber-free concrete. As seen, the specimen containing 0.35 vol% of
20 0.2-PP PP fibers shows the highest increase in the fracture toughness among
10 0-PP the concrete specimens. The effective fracture toughness (Keff) of the
0 concrete reinforced with 0.35 vol% of PP fibers at crack inclination
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 angles of 0, 15, 28.83, 45, 60, 75, and 90° is, respectively, 14.5, 15.5,
α ( °) 20.6, 14.8, 1.8, and 3.4% higher than that of the fiber-free concrete
specimen.
Fig. 13. The relationship of the loading direction and pre-existing crack (α)
As shown in Fig. 8, the mode I fracture toughness of the concrete
with the crack initiation angle for the concrete reinforced with 0.2 vol% of PP
reinforced with 0.5 vol% of PP fibers increases by 10 and 2% relative to
fibers.
the fiber-free concrete at crack inclination angles of 0 and 90°, re-
spectively. The pure shear mode fracture occurring at an inclination
with 0.2 vol% of PP fibers increases by 7.2 and 0.7% relative to the angle of 28.83° increases by 17.6% in the reinforced concrete relative to
fiber-free concrete at crack inclination angles of 0 and 90°, respectively. the fiber-free concrete. The effective fracture toughness of the concrete
The pure shear mode fracture occurring at an inclination angle of reinforced with 0.5 vol% of PP fibers is higher than that of the fiber-free
28.83° increases by 7.8% in the reinforced concrete relative to the fiber- concrete at all inclination angles. The bar charts in Figs. 9 and 10 show
free concrete. The effective fracture toughness of the concrete re- the fracture toughness of the conventional and PP fiber-reinforced
inforced with 0.2 vol% of PP fibers is higher than that of the fiber-free concrete specimens.
concrete up to an inclination angle of 75°. The fracture toughness of the As seen in the bar charts, adding PP fibers causes an increase in the

8
M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

100 increased by 34.8% for the concrete reinforced with 0.35 vol% of PP
90 fibers. As mentioned, the wing cracks begin to grow away from the pre-
Crack initiation angle (°)

80 existing crack tip at 75 and 90°. Interestingly, this distance is con-

70 siderably shorter in the PP fiber-reinforced concrete than the fiber-free
60 concrete specimen. In the concrete specimens containing 0.35 vol% of
PP fibers, the highest reduction in the distance between the crack in-
50
itiation site and the crack tip was 24.7 and 24.9% at 75 and 90°, re-
40
spectively.
30
As shown, the concrete specimens containing 0.35 vol% of PP fibers
20 0.35-PP
showed the highest effective fracture toughness relative to the fiber-free
10 0-PP concrete as well as the concrete reinforced with 0.2 and 0.5 vol% of PP
0 fibers. The concrete specimens containing 0.35 vol% of PP fibers with a
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 vertical crack (an inclination angle of 0°) are fractured similar to the
α (°) crack-free specimens in the vertical direction through indirect tension.
In the specimens with an inclination angle of 15° under pressure
Fig. 14. The relationship of the loading direction and pre-existing crack (α)
loading, the tensile cracks are branched off with an angle of 37° relative
with the crack initiation angle for the concrete reinforced with 0.35 vol% of PP
to the crack direction and reach the upper and lower boundaries. In the
fibers.
specimens with an inclination angle of 28.83° under pressure loading,
the wing cracks are branched off with an angle of 40° relative to the
100
crack direction and reach the upper and lower boundaries. In the spe-
90 cimens with an inclination angle of 45° under pressure loading, the
Crack iniƟaƟon angle (°)

80 tensile cracks are branched off with an angle of 52° relative to the crack
70 direction and reach the upper and lower boundaries. In the specimens
60 with an inclination angle of 60° under pressure loading, the wing cracks
50 are branched off with an angle of 79° relative to the crack direction and
40 reach the upper and lower boundaries. In the specimens with an in-
30 clination angle of 75° under pressure loading, the tensile cracks are
0.5-PP branched off with an angle of 87° relative to the crack direction and
20
close to the crack tip, reaching the upper and lower boundaries. In the
10 0-PP specimens with an inclination angle of 90° (horizontal crack), a crack is
0
first branched off away of the crack tip in the lower semi-circle of the
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
disc and then reaches the lower boundary. Two cracks are then bran-
α (°) ched off the main crack tip and reach the upper boundary.
Fig. 15. The relationship of the loading direction and pre-existing crack (α)
with the crack initiation angle for the concrete reinforced with 0.5 vol% of PP 5. Conclusion
fibers.
- Comparison of the mechanical properties of the specimens with and
mode I fracture toughness, and the maximum fracture toughness was without PP fibers showed that the optimal PP fiber content to
obtained by adding 0.35 vol% of PP fibers to the concrete. achieve the highest compressive and tensile strengths was 0.35 vol%
As seen in the bar charts, the maximum mode II fracture toughness relative to the concrete. The compressive and tensile strengths of the
was obtained by adding 0.35 vol% of PP fibers to the concrete. Figs. 11 concrete reinforced with 0.35 vol% of PP fibers increased by 4.8 and
and 12 show the fractured conventional concrete and the concrete re- 11.6%, respectively. The compressive and tensile strengths de-
inforced with 0.35 vol% of PP fibers at different inclination angles. creased with a further increase in the PP fiber content.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15 show the relationship of the loading direction - Comparison of the diagrams obtained for the specimens containing
and pre-existing crack (α) with the crack initiation angle for the con- different PP levels showed that the specimen reinforced with
cretes reinforced with 0.2, 0.35, 0.5 vol% of PP fibers, respectively. 0.35 vol% of PP fiber content had the highest fracture toughness.
The diagram shows that the crack initiation angle increases with - In all tested specimens, the crack initiation angle increased with
increasing the crack inclination angle relative to the loading angle. increasing the crack inclination angle. The wing cracks then pro-
Crack propagation began from the pre-existing crack tip at inclination pagated towards the disc edge in a curvilinear path parallel to the
angles equal to or less than 60°. At inclination angles equal to or larger loading direction. Interestingly, the crack initiated with a larger
than 75°, the wing cracks propagate away from the crack tip. With angle in the fiber-reinforced specimens and then propagated to-
increasing the loading angle and the crack assuming a horizontal di- wards the loading point at the disc edge.
rection, this angle eventually reaches 90°, which is consistent with the - At crack inclination angles equal to or less than 60°, the crack in-
results reported in the literature. Among the recent studies in this re- itiated with the growth of wing cracks of the crack tip. With in-
gard, a research work by Xian Qai et al can be cited. According to their creasing the crack inclination angles to 75 and 90°, the crack in-
results, when the loading angle reaches 90°, the crack propagation itiated with a distance of d from the crack tip. By adding the PP
angle reaches it maximum value of 90° [31]. Bobet (2000) found that fibers, the specimens were fractured at inclination angles of 75 and
the crack is expected to occur parallel to the maximum pressure load, 90° such that the distance d was lower than that in the fiber-free
and the wing cracks are directed to the loading point in a curvilinear concrete specimens. In other words, unlike the fiber-free specimens,
path [32]. The interesting point observed in this study is that the wing the fiber-reinforced concrete specimens began to fail from the center
cracks grow with a larger curvature at any PP fiber contents and are of the disc.
then aligned with the loading direction. Accordingly, the crack initia- - The force required for the failure of the specimens decreased as the
tion angle in the fiber-reinforced specimens is larger than that in the crack inclination angle increased from 0 to 45°, and then increased
fiber-free specimens. This effect is observed at all angles at a PP fiber as the inclination angle increased from 45 to 90°.
content of 0.35 vol%. At an angle of 45°, the crack initiation angle - The fracture load for the specimens containing 0.35 vol% of PP fiber
content was higher than that in other reinforced specimens.

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M. Hatami Jorbat, et al. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 109 (2020) 102723

- The effective fracture toughness of the concrete reinforced with (2017).

0.35 vol% of PP fiber content at inclination angles of 0, 15, 28.83, [13] C.H. Park, A. Bobet, Crack initiation, propagation and coalescence from frictional
flaws in uniaxial compression, Engin. Fract. Mech. 77 (2010) 2727–2748.
45, 60, 75, and 90° was, respectively, 14.5, 15.5, 20.6, 14.8, 14.8, [14] Nemat-Nasser, S., & Obata, M. (1988). A microcrack model of dilatancy in brittle
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Declaration of Competing Interest [16] P.S. Song, S. Hwang, Mechanical properties of high-strength steel fiber-reinforced
concrete, Constr. Build. Mater. 18 (2004) 669–673.
[17] Y. Choi, R. Yuan, Experimental relationship between splitting tensile strength and
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial compressive strength of GFRC and PFRC, Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (2005) 1587–1591.
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influ- [18] F. Aslani, S.h. Nejadi, Self-compacting concrete incorporating steel and poly-
ence the work reported in this paper. propylene fibers: Compressive and tensile strengths, moduli of elasticity and rup-
ture, compressive stress–strain curve, and energy dissipated under compression,
Compos. B (2013) 121–133.
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