Composite Construction in Steel and Concrete VII 401

Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of Steel and Polypropylene

Fibre-Reinforced Concrete Used in Beam Column Joints

Nassim Ghosni1; Bijan Samali2; and Hamid Valipour3

1
Ph.D. Candidate, Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
E-mail: [email protected]
2
Institute and Program Director, Professor of Structural Engineering, Institute for
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Infrastructure Engineering, Univ. of Western Sydney, Australia. E-mail:

[email protected]
3
Doctor of Structural Engineering, Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052,
Australia. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Investigations on improving characteristics of concrete structures utilizing

Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC) have gained momentum in the last few decades.
Using suitable fibres and additives in concrete to advance its performance is an
important consideration in the construction industry. With regards to structural
aspects of concrete, the important goal of this project is to improve the ductility of the
concrete beam column joints, which helps eliminate or reduce the need for steel
reinforcement. Fibres within the matrix, can bridge the cracks, which improves the
performance of concrete matrix and results in a better stress bearing concrete
material. This research project aims to investigative the effect of polypropylene (PP)
and steel fibre volume percentage within the concrete on its mechanical properties.
Concrete fresh properties as well as hardened properties have been tested and
evaluated to work out the best fibre percentage to be added to concrete structure.
From among the trial mix designs, five sets of FRC have been fully tested for the
mechanical properties and also evaluated for the beam column concrete joint
behaviour. Slump, mass per unit volume and air content have been tested to work out
the fresh properties of concrete. 7 and 28-day compressive strength and also indirect
tensile tests have been performed on the hardened concrete the results of which are
presented in this paper. By using 0.5% by volume fraction of 30mm steel fibre, the
indirect tensile strength of concrete has increased by 21%; however, when 1% of steel
fibre has been utilized, about 45% increase has been observed. Furthermore, a sample
of the joint test conducted will be presented in this work to illustrate the finite goal of
this project.

INTRODUCTION

Concrete is inherently a brittle material with highly weak post peak behaviour.
The higher the concrete strength, the steeper the trend of failure in the post peak
behaviour of concrete will be (Swamy 1986). It is possible to improve the mechanical
properties of concrete by adding steel fibres or some other types of fibre such as
synthetic fibres. Fibres act as secondary reinforcement in the concrete structure to
restrain crack propagation. Incorporation of these fibres can influence the behaviour
of concrete and change the sudden failure trend in to a gradual failure with post peak

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characteristic. Therefore, these fibres are likely to transform concrete from brittle in
to a more ductile material. It has been shown (Qian & Stroeven 2000) that steel fibres
can greatly influence the load bearing capacity in larger loads. In another research
(Ghosni, Samali & Vessalas 2013), it has been discussed that in small loadings of
structure where concrete material itself is in the tensile load bearing stage, PP fibres
can significantly improve matrix properties.
Literature (Chanh 2004) shows that the workability of steel fibre reinforced
concrete (SFRC) is significantly affected by the aspect ratio (l/d) of the steel fibres in
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the mix and SFRC’s workability has found to decrease with the increase in aspect
ratio of the steel fibres. With regards to hardened concrete properties, previous
research explain that introducing a certain percentage of steel fibres to plain concrete
does not alter the pre-peak compressive strength of concrete substantially (Fanella &
Naaman 1985). However, (Song & Hwang 2004) reported that the compressive
strength of high strength fibre reinforced concrete (HSFRC) increased with the
addition of hooked-end steel fibres by 7.1% with a volume fraction (Vf) of 0.5%,
11.8% at 1.0% fraction, 15.3% at 1.5% fraction, and a drop to 12.9% at 2.0%
fraction. It was concluded that 1.5% of volume fraction was the maximum
improvement for the compressive strength in HSFRC. A 4.6% increase in
compressive strength was observed by (Thomas & Ramaswamy 2007) for HSFRC
with compressive strength of 85MPa and fibre volume fraction of 1.5% hooked-end
steel fibres.
(Olivito & Zuccarello 2010) found that their results give no real convincing
evidence that the addition of steel fibres had a significant effect on the compressive
strength but it was observed that SFRC had changed its failure mode from brittle to a
ductile failure. These results show signs that the steel fibres considerably increase the
post-cracking ductility or energy absorption of the material.
Unlike compressive strength of SFRC, the addition of steel fibres in plain
concrete increases the split tensile strength of the material. When hooked-end steel
fibres with length (Lf ) of 30mm and aspect ratio of 55 were used, the effect of the
steel fibres varied across different concrete strengths. The increase of split tensile
strength of SFRC with a fibre volume (Vf ) of 1.5%, by 38.2% in normal-strength
concrete (35 MPa), 41.2% in moderately high-strength concrete (65 MPa) and 38.5%
in high-strength concrete (85 MPa) (Thomas & Ramaswamy 2007). Previous testing
has been carried on the strength of high strength fibre reinforced concrete (HSFRC)
through splitting tensile test. Song & Hwang (2004) found that when using hooked-
end fibre with an average Lf of 35mm and aspect ratio of 64, the splitting tensile
strength of HSFRC improved with the increase of volume fraction (test limited to a
Vf of 2%). The splitting tensile strength of steel fibre reinforced concrete is strongly
influenced by the number of fibres intersecting the failure plane and their orientation
(Potrzebowski 1983).
Researches on PP fibres also report promising results with regards to concrete
mechanical properties (Ghosni, Vessalas & Samali 2013). As regards to compressive
strength, it has been reported (Mindess & Vondran 1988) that a 25% increase in
compressive strength at 0.5 volume percentage of the polypropylene . In another
research (Massoud, Abou-Zeid & Fahmy 2003), the role of polypropylene fibers is
stated insignificant in differentiating compressive strength using the same fibre

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volume. It is concluded that below the 0.1% volume percentage dosage rate, fibres
have no statistically significant effect on the characteristics of the hardened concrete
(Midwest-Research-Institute 1994).
In PP fibre mixes, workability of fresh concrete has been reported to be
reduced (Bayasi & Zeng 1993). With 0.5% by volume of 12.7 mm and 19 mm PP
fibres, slump test results showed 11.6% and 88.5% reduction, respectively. Other
research works have also reported that fibre addition can affect concrete slump
noticeably (Al-Tayyib et al. 1988; Pantazopoulou & Zanganeh 2001). By adding
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0.4% by weight of PP fibres, a large reduction in compressive strength and also

workability is reported (Barr & Newman 1985). According to Siddique et al.
(Siddique, Khatib & Kaur 2008) PP fibers have a non-desirable effect on the air
content of concrete. With the addition of PP fibers, air content of concrete has been
reported to increase.
MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY

Two types of fibre have been studied in this research; steel fibres and
polypropylene fibre. It has been indicated in literature (Qian & Stroeven 2000) that
different type and different length of fibres can perform differently in the concrete
matrix. Softer fibres (PP fibres) control crack initiation and steel fibres, which are
larger and stronger fibres, can control larger cracks. Hooked steel fibres (30 mm and
60 mm), PP fibre (65 mm), fibrillated PP fibre (19mm), monofilament PP fibre
(18mm) have been introduced to the mix with 0.5% and 1% volume of the whole
mix. Fibre characteristics are described in Table 1. Moreover, two control mixes, one
with 100% PC ( C ) and one with 70% PC and 30% FA ( CF) are tested and
compared to FRC results . These mixes also include the addition of 30% fly ash (FA)
for partial replacement of Portland cement (PC) and utilisation of manufactured
coarse and fine sands to replace natural coarse and fine sand, respectively, to aim for
producing a ‘greener’ concrete. Water ratio to cementitious material of the mix is
fixed at 0.35 and a target slump of 80±20 is set. Water used for concrete mix is
drinking tap water.
In the fresh concrete properties tests all the procedures are followed according
to Australian Standards. For freshly mixed concrete properties, AS 1012.3.1-1998
was used for the measurement procedures. Wet density and the air content were
additionally determined in accordance with the test method requirements of AS
1012.5-1999 and AS 1012.4.2-1999, respectively. For vibration and compaction of
concrete, the procedure listed in AS 1012.8.1-2000 is followed and all moulded test
specimens were externally vibrated using a vibration table. Compressive strength
testing was carried out after 28 and 56 days ageing. A universal testing machine
applying axial loads on 100×200mm cylinders were used.

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Table 1: Fibre type and Characteristics

Fibre Density Diameter Cut Aspect Tensile
length ratio strength
[kg/m3] [mm] [mm] [MPa]
Fibrillated PP (PF) 910.0 0.055 19 345 ~ 600
Monofilament PP (PM) 910.0 0.022 18 818 ~ 600
Structural PP (PP) 905.0 0.850 65 75 250
Hooked Steel (SF30) 7800 0.750 30 40 1050
Hooked Steel (SF60) 7800 0.750 60 80 1225
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MATERIAL TEST RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Data from tests relating to the fresh properties of FRCs are presented in Table
2. The amount of High Range Water Reducer (HWR) used in each mix has been
different as a slump of 80mm was targeted. Although a few of the mixes couldn‘t
reach that slump, even with high amounts of HWR, most mix designs showed
promising results in terms of fresh properties. Mass per unit volume of the concrete
mixes has also been measured to have the volume density of the engineered concrete.
Usually, the volume density of conventional concrete is approximately 2,400 to 2,500
kg/m3; this property is measured then to evaluate the effects of fibre and on concrete
density and also use this value for further calculations.

Table 2: Fresh Properties

Mix ID W/C Slump HWR AC Volume Density
[mm] [ml/ m³] [%] [Kg/m³]
C 0.35 60 1317 0.8 2510
CF 0.35 75 1000 1.0 2450
PM0.5 0.35 60 1243 1.9 2380
PM1 0.35 55 1615 2.6 2290
PF0.5 0.35 80 1150 1.1 2380
PF1 0.35 65 1846 1.5 2290
PP1 0.35 45 3250 2.0 2418
SF30-0.5 0.35 90 1333 1.1 2470
SF30-1 0.35 60 2000 2.0 2490
SF60-0.5 0.35 90 2125 2.0 2490

Results of Table 2 show that in mixes where fibre is present, the amount of
HWR needed to reach the target slump is generally higher. Therefore, it can be
concluded that fibre addition decrease the workability of the mix. Furthermore, the
amount of HWR needed for lower percentages of SFRCs is moderately lower than
that of higher percentages. In general, the amount of HRW needed to be added to
SFRC is slightly higher than that of PP FRC comparing the same volume percentage
of fibre usage. The amount of HWR used in monofilament containing mixes was
much higher than that of fibrillated fibres which show that monofilament PP fibres
decrease the workability of the mix more than fibrillated PP fibres. Furthermore,
visual inspection of the mixes showed that by adding HWR to monofilament FRCs,
there is a risk of segregation before getting the desired slump especially in higher
percentages. This is also true when 1% of longer steel fibres are added to the concrete
mix. In mixes where PP fibres are present, a decrease in volume density is observed.
This is most probably due to the lower volume density of PP fibres.

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Results of tests under compressive load are illustrated in table 3. Regarding

the effect of PP fibres on hardened properties of concrete some conclusions are
presented. Considering the compressive strength properties it is observed that in PP
FRCs, this parameter has slightly decreased, except for PM1 mix, whereas in SFRCs,
the reverse is true. With regards to the indirect tensile tests, results show that both
fibres help with enhancing the performance of concrete matrix except for
monofilament PP fibre. Where 1% of 30 mm steel fibre is used in the concrete
matrix, the splitting tensile strength has increased by about 182% which can
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considerably be beneficial to improve properties of concrete.

Table 3: Hardened Properties

Mix ID 28D 56D 28D
Compressive Compressive Indirect
Strength Strength Tensile
[MPa] [MPa] [MPa]
C 73.0 76.5 4.5
CF 61.5 70.3 4.5
PM0.5 56.0 62.1 4.2
PM1 43.5 49.0 3.8
PF0.5 56.5 63.4 4.3
PF1 58.0 66.0 5.2
PP1 50.7 55.5 5.4
SF30-0.5 64.7 85.5 5.7
SF30-1 65.5 88.7 8.2
SF60-0.5 60.4 76.5 7.8

STRUCTURAL TEST RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

As mentioned before, the results of this study are incorporated in structural

applications of concrete to enhance the ductile behaviour of concrete material. This
can help with reducing the amount of steel reinforcement used in the structure. The
fibres percentages and types with better performance in material characteristics are
tested in reinforced beam under 4 point static, 3 point cyclic loads and also beam-
column exterior joints. Comparative results of these applications are very promising.
For example, where 1% fibrillated PP fibre has been incorporated; the ductility of
concrete beam has almost doubled. The performance of this concrete under cyclic
loadings applied to beam-column joints have yielded enhanced performance. Where
fibres are added to concrete, the stirrups are eliminated in the joints. A sample of
Load-deflection curve is presented in Figure 1. Two of the structural joints lack the
typical stirrup as the reinforcement in the joint for the seismic design. It is observed
that the performance of the structural element without stirrup but with fibres is
comparable to that of a conventional joint with stirrups.

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60

40

20
Load [kN]

0
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-20
Conventional Joint
-40 Underreinforced joint containing PP fibre
Underreinforced Joint
-60
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Deflection [mm]
Figure 1: Exterior joint load deflection curves under cyclic loading

CONCLUSION

An efficient and thorough investigation on different aspects of PP FRC and

SFRC is conducted in this project, the results of which are very promising in terms of
both material and structural applications of concrete. This study also considers the
effect of adding 30% FA in the concrete mix as a replacement of PC to help
achieving greener concrete and environmentally friendly buildings with
sustainability. PP and steel fibres were added to the mix by 0.5% and 1% of the
volume of the mix. Two types of PP fibre and two types of steel fibre have been used
and the results are compared.
The outcome of this research work can conclude that although adding fibres
may affect the workability of concrete material but this can be managed by using
HWR to maintain the desired slump. Adding PP fibres do not enhance the
compressive strength of the mix but addition of steel fibres can noticeably change this
property of concrete. Where 1% of 30 mm steel fibre is used, the compressive
strength of FRC has increased.
Adding fibres to concrete used in structural joint show that the performance of
under reinforced joint can be significantly maintained.

REFERENCES

Al-Tayyib, A.J., Al-Zahrani, M.M., Rasheeduzzafar & Al-Sulaimani, G.J. 1988,

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Sugeno fuzzy model and its application to nonlinear system identification' ,
International Journal of Systems Science, Vol.43, no4, pp776-785.
Barr, B. & Newman, P.D. 1985, 'Toughness of polypropylene fibre-reinforced
concrete', Composites, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 48-53.

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Bayasi, Z. & Zeng, J. 1993, 'Properties of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete',

American Concrete Institute, vol. 90, no. 6, pp. 605-10.
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Composite Construction in Steel and Concrete VII