CD07-005

AN INVESTIGATION ON EFFECT OF USING PP FIBERS AND

DIFFERENT CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS ON MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES OF EPS CONCRETE
A. Sadrmomtazi1, M.A. Mirgozar Langeroudi 2, A. Fasihi3, A.K. Haghi4
1
Assistant professor, Dept of Civil Engg, Faculty of Engg, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2,3
M.S. Student, Dept of Civil Engg, Faculty of Engg, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
4
Professor, Dept of Textile Engg, Faculty of Engg, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

ABSTRACT
The use of lightweight concrete in many applications of modern construction is
increasing, owing to the advantages that lower density results in decreasing the
magnitude of dead load of the structure which lead to smaller cross sections for load
bearing elements. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads are a type of artificial
lightweight nonabsorbent aggregates which can be used to produce low density
concretes by replacing with normal aggregates, either partially or fully, depending
upon the requirements of density and strength. Also plastic shrinkage is the
dimensional change that occurs in all fresh cement based materials within the first
few hours after it has been placed which is not unacceptable in itself, but it is some
times accompanied by development of cracks that are unsightly and objectionable.
Polypropylene and other synthetic fibers are added to concrete as secondary
reinforcement in order to control this plastic shrinkage. On the other hand, the
addition of fibers affects on the properties of hardened concrete like compressive and
tensile strength, elastic modulus and toughness. The present study covers the use of
polypropylene fibers at contents equal to 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5% and 1% by volume of
EPS concrete in order to study about the effects of its addition into the EPS concrete
matrix on mechanical properties. Also the effects of using Silica fume and Rice husk
as two supplementary cementitious materials were investigated.

Keywords: EPS concrete, PP fibers, silica fume, rice husk, mechanical properties

1. INTRODUCTION
Lightweight concretes can be produced by replacing the normal aggregates in
concrete either partially or fully, depending upon the requirements of density and
strength [1]. Historically, lightweight concrete is used for both structural and non-
structural applications. use of lightweight concretes in construction of high rise
buildings, offshore structures and long span bridges due to the advantage of its low
density, results in a significant benefit in terms of load bearing elements of smaller
cross section and a corresponding reduction in the size of the foundation [2].
Lightweight aggregates are broadly classified in to two types, natural (pumice,
diatomite, volcanic cinders, etc.) and artificial (perlite, expanded shale, clay, slate,
sintered PFA, etc.). One of the main problems associated with the use of
 1036 / An Investigation on Effect of Using PP Fibers and…. ––––––––––––––––
conventional lightweight aggregates produced from clay, slate and shale in concrete
is that these porous aggregates absorb a very large quantity of the mixing water. This
is known to affect the performance of the concrete, apart from the fact that it is
difficult to maintain specific water content during the casting. Also, this absorption
of water by the aggregate will mean that additional water will be required to maintain
the slump at acceptable levels. These increased water contents necessitate higher
cement contents, even without the benefit of higher strength [3]. Expanded
polystyrene is a kind of stable foam with low density, nonabsorbent, closed cell
nature aggregates consisting of discrete air voids in a polymer matrix. As a type of
artificial ultra-lightweight aggregate, the polystyrene beads can easily be
incorporated in mortar or concrete to produce lightweight concrete, with a wide
range of densities, required for building applications like cladding panels and load-
bearing concrete blocks. Also, they can be used as a construction material for
floating marine structures, as an energy-absorbing material for the protection of
buried military structures and as fenders in offshore oil platforms [4]. Also, it was
reported that it can be used for other specialized applications like the sub-base
material for pavement and railway track bed, as construction material for floating
marine structures, sea beds, and sea fences, as an energy-absorbing material for the
protection of buried military structures, and as fenders in offshore oil platforms [5,6].
Polypropylene fibers have been widely used for the reinforcement of cementitious
materials to improve the toughness and energy absorption capability of matrix [7].
They were found to be extremely effective in reducing free plastic shrinkage, in
retarding first crack appearance and in controlling crack development [8].
Although effectiveness of PP fibers in shrinkage cracking, impact resistance and
ductility of cement matrices has been proved by many researchers, effect of PP
fibers on compressive and flexural strength is not quit clear [9]. Presently, a
comprehensive investigation on the mechanical behavior of the EPS concretes
containing polypropylene fibers is not available. In this study, concretes with
different EPS contents, were reinforced with polypropylene fibers and the effects
of using fibers on mechanical properties were evaluated.

2. EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
2.1. Materials and Mix Proportions
Cement: The cement used in all mortar mixes was ordinary Portland cement which
corresponds to ASTM type 1. The chemical analysis of Portland cement is shown
in Table 1.
Silica fume: Silica fume has been used as supplementary cementing materials to
partially replacement for many years. It has been also used for producing high
performance concrete or achieving other desired properties. The silica fume used in
this study contained 91.1% of SiO2 with average size of 7.38 µm.
Rice husk ash: Rice husk ash has been used in many countries as a low cost
concrete admixture because of its role as filler and a pozzolan [12]. It has been also
used. For producing high performance concrete (HPC) or achieving other desire
properties. RHA used in this experiment contained 91.62% of SiO2 with average
size of 15.83 µm.
 ––––––––––––––––––––––– 3rd International Conference on Concrete & Development / 1037

Table 1: Chemical composition of Cement and Silica fume and Rice husk ash
Oxide Portland cement Silica fume Rice husk ash
SiO2 21/00 91/10 91/62
Al2O3 4/60 1/55 0/49
Fe2O3 3/20 2/00 0/73
CaO 64/50 2/42 2/51
MgO 2/00 0/06 0/88
SO3 2/90 0/45 -
Na2O + K2O 1/00 - 2/39
LOI 1/50 2/10 -

Superplastisizer: Superplastisizers are now widely used as additives in concrete

with high rheological requirements. The use of superplastisizers allows reducing
the water to cement ratio (w/c) of mortar and concrete without significantly
changing their flow properties. Sodium salts of formaldehyde condensates disperse
the cement particles by electrostatic repulsion which results from the adsorption on
cement surfaces [13, 14]. Due to high specific surface of silica fume and rice husk
ash which need more water for complete hydration, workability of concrete will be
affected. In order to achieve desire fluidity, polycarboxylate ether was incorporated
in to all mixes. The content of super plastsizer was adjusted for each mixture to
keep constant the workability of concrete.
Aggregates: Natural river sand was used with specific gravity of 2.51 gr/cm3 and
absorption capacity equal to 3.4%. Natural River gravel w used as coarse aggregate
with specific gravity of 2.54 gr/cm3 and absorption capacity equal to 2.57%.

Figure 3 . Sieve Analysis of used Sand and Gravel based on ASTM standard

EPS: The grading shows that used EPS has mostly (85%) 3.5 mm size beads. The
density of used expanded polystyrene was evaluated to be 0.0257 gr/cm3.
Polypropylene fiber: polypropylene fibers which is used is waste carpet fibers,
 1038 / An Investigation on Effect of Using PP Fibers and…. ––––––––––––––––
has been cut by length of 6mm.

Table 2: Characteristics of the polypropylene fibers

properties description
Fibrillated or mono
Morphology
filament
Specific weight [gr/cm3] 0.95
Diameter [μm] 20 – 200
Modulus of elasticity
5 – 10
[GPa]
Tensile strength [MPa] 500 - 750
Ultimate strain [%] 5 - 15
Elongation at fracture [%] Approx. 20
Melting point [°C] 160
Bonding with cement Good
Stability in cement Good

Mix proportions: Three percentages of using EPS of 15%, 25% and 40% by
volume were listed. In order to investigate the effect of polypropylene fibers on
mechanical properties of EPS concrete, it was used in mixes by four percentages of
0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5% and 1% by volume, silica fume and rice husk ash replacement
were 10% and 20% by weight in the cementitious material, respectively. The
complete details of the concrete mixes are presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Mix proportion of the specimens

Fresh
mix Cement S.F R.H Water 0-3 3-6 6-12 EPS PP
w/(c+s) Density
No. (kg/m3) % % (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) % %
(kg/m3)
1 400 - - 180 0.45 666 118 957 - 2400
0% , 0.1% , 0.3% , 0.5% , 1% by Volume

2 400 - - 170 0.43 540 95 777 15% 1900

3 400 - - 165 0.41 431 76 620 25% 1700
4 400 - - 160 0.4 294 52 423 40% 1350
5 360 10% - 190 0.48 652 115 940 - 2300
6 360 10% - 175 0.44 524 93 755 15% 1900
7 360 10% - 175 0.44 422 75 607 25% 1650
8 360 10% - 170 0.43 282 50 406 40% 1300
9 320 - 20% 210 0.52 620 110 895 - 2250
10 320 - 20% 205 0.51 470 80 670 15% 1850
11 320 - 20% 205 0.51 385 68 555 25% 1600
12 320 - 20% 200 0.5 245 43 352 40% 1250

Production of EPS concrete: EPS beads were wetted initially with a part of the
mixing water and superplasticizer before adding the remaining materials. Mixing
was continued until a uniform and flowing mixture was obtained. The fresh
concrete densities and slump values were measured immediately after the mixing
which showed a variation between 50 and 70cm. The specimens were cured under
 ––––––––––––––––––––––– 3rd International Conference on Concrete & Development / 1039

wet gunny bags initially and, after demolding, were stored in water [11].
Specimens: Cube specimens of 100 mm were tested for the uniaxial compressive
strength. Cylinders with a diameter of 150 mm and a height of 300 mm were tested
for the splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. The 50×50×200 mm
beam specimens were tested in three point bending with the span of 180 mm with a
cross head movement of 1 mm/min. all the tests were done by using a testing
machine with a maximum load of 3000kN.
Test program: The main objective of the present investigation was to study the
Effect of Using PP fibers and different Cementitious Materials on Mechanical
Properties of EPS Concrete, over a wide range of concrete densities of 1250-2300
kg/m3, with the corresponding compressive strengths varying between 6.7 and 47.6
MPa. The flow values of the fresh concrete were measured according to ASTM C
124-1973. Compressive strength tests were carried out on 100 mm cubes at the age
of 3, 7, 14, 28 and 90 days on a testing machine of 3000 kN capacity at a loading
rate of 0.25 N/mm2s. The splitting tensile strength test was conducted on cylinders
of 150 mm in diameter and 300 mm in height, at 28 days as per ASTM C 496-89.
Modulus of elasticity test was done at 28 days by using the mentioned machine
based on ASTM C 469 [11]. the 50×50×200 mm beam specimens were tested in
third-point loading over a span of 180 mm in accordance with ASTM C 1018
w21x. Flexural test was done on these specimens with a cross head movement of 1
mm/min at 28 days.

2.2. Result and Discossion

Fresh concrete: The main parameter, which is often used to determine the
workability of fresh concrete, is the slump test. The slump value depends mainly
on the water absorption and porosity of the aggregates, water content in the
mixture, amount of the aggregate and fine material in the mixture, shape of the
aggregates and surface characteristics of the constituents in the mixture. The slump
values decreased significantly with the addition of polypropylene. With the use of
sufficient compaction, the fresh concrete would flow satisfactorily again and the
polypropylene fibers would be uniformly dispersed in the mixture. Furthermore,
with the constant water-cement ratio, the slump values of the concrete mixtures
containing polypropylene fibers were not significantly affected by the aggregate
types. This was primarily caused by the good adhesion in the fresh concrete, which
was created by the polypropylene fibers. The mixes having the higher percentage
of silica fume and rice husk ash show higher flow values. All the concretes were
flexible and easy to work with, and could be easily compacted using just hand
compaction.
Compressive strength: With or without using of EPS in mixes, the addition of
polypropylene fibers in the concrete did not significantly affect the compressive
strength of concretes. Test results showed increase in value of compressive strength
in some specimens and on the other hand, some other showed decrease on
mentioned parameter. Also from the results, it is clear that the rate of strength gain
in early ages increased using silica fume as a replacement of ordinary cement. But
rice husk ash, as a replacement of ordinary cement needs more time to show its
 1040 / An Investigation on Effect of Using PP Fibers and…. ––––––––––––––––
benefits as a pozzolanic material. In this case, an improvement in mechanical
properties can be observed at the age of 90 days and upper. The desired density of
EPS concrete can be determined by varying the EPS volume in the mix. The
variations of compressive strength with the plastic density of concrete were
observed to be linear. Moreover, the failure mode of the concrete specimens
containing EPS aggregates under compressive loading observed to be gradual and
the specimens were capable of retaining the load after failure without full
disintegration. By adding polypropylene in EPS concrete matrix, the failure mode
observed to be more gradual. This clearly shows the high energy absorption
capacity of these concretes.

without EPS 15% EPS

50 25% EPS 40% EPS
Compressive Strength(MPa)

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0 0.1 0.3 0.5 1

PP% by Volume

Figure 2. Compressive strength of concrete at different contents of EPS and PP fibers

3 days 7 days 14 days 28 days

50
Compressive Strength(MPa)

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Mix No.

Figure 3. variation of compressive strength with age and cementitious replacement

Split tensile strength: The variation of tensile strength with the EPS and
polypropylene content of admixture is given in Figure 4. From this, it can be seen
that the tensile strength increased with decreasing EPS content of concrete.
 ––––––––––––––––––––––– 3rd International Conference on Concrete & Development / 1041

4 Without EPS(1) 15% EPS(2) 25% EPS(3) 40% EPS(4)

3.5

3
Tensile Strength

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2

PP% by Volume

Figure 4. variation of Tensile strength with PP and EPS content of concrete

The splitting failure mode of the concrete specimens containing EPS aggregates
also observed to be gradual. adding polypropylene fibers showed an increase in the
value of tensile strength, as well by adding polypropylene in concrete matrix, the
failure mode observed to be more gradual and specimens did not separate in two
parts as shown in Figure 5. Effect of using silica fume and rice husk ash as a
replacement of ordinary cement on split tensile is similar to the effects that
observed during compressive strength tests.

Figure 5. Effect of using polypropylene in concrete on failure mode

Modulus of elasticity: Static modulus of elasticity tests were carried out on the
150×300 mm EPS concrete cylinders. The results of these tests showed that this
mechanical material property has a linear variation with the used volume of EPS in
admixture, but vice versa. It means that an increase in the volume of EPS, used in
concrete lead to decrease in the magnitude of the parameter modulus of elasticity
 1042 / An Investigation on Effect of Using PP Fibers and…. ––––––––––––––––
which is expected. From the results, the addition of polypropylene fibers in the
concrete did not significantly affect the modulus of elasticity of mixes. It means
that the use of polypropylene fibers by the mentioned percentages in EPS concrete
resulted in the low influence on modulus of elasticity of concrete rather than the
influences contributed by the other constituents of concrete.

Mix No.1 Mix No.2 Mix No.5 Mix No.6

50000
Mix No.7 Mix No.9 Mix No.10
Modulus of Elasticity(MPa)

45000

40000

35000

30000

25000

20000

15000

10000

5000

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2

PP% by Volume

Figure 6. variation of Modulus of Elasticity with PP and EPS content of concrete

The results also indicated that adding silica fume to admixture caused an increase
in modulus of elasticity in all mixes, however using rice husk ash as a
supplementary cementitious material caused a decrease in value of the modulus of
elasticity at 28 days.
Flexural behavior: from the results, the flexural capacity decreased with an
increase in the volume of EPS in mixes. Also no effect on the flexural behavior
was observed. However, by increasing used polypropylene’s volume, flexural
capacity was observed to be improved.

8
Mix No.1 Mix No.2 Mix No.3 Mix No.4
Flexural strength(MPa)

7
6

5
4

3
2

1
0
0 0.1 0.3 0.5 1
PP% by Volume

Figure 7. variation of Flexural strength with PP and EPS content of concrete

 ––––––––––––––––––––––– 3rd International Conference on Concrete & Development / 1043

3. CONCLUSION
The mechanical strength of EPS concrete showed a linear increase with an increase
in concrete density. The failure was observed to be gradual (compressible), and the
specimens were capable of retaining the load after failure, without full
disintegration. The strength of EPS concretes appears to increase linearly with an
increase in concrete density, or with a decrease in the EPS volume. With or without
using of EPS in mixes, the addition of polypropylene fibers in the concrete did not
significantly affect the compressive strength of concretes. The rate of strength gain
was increasing with using silica fume as a replacement of ordinary cement. But rice
husk ash, as a replacement of ordinary cement needs more time to show its benefits
as a pozzolanic material. In this case, an improvement in mechanical properties can
be observed at the age of 90 days and upper. Be seen that the tensile strength
increased with an increase in compressive strength. Modulus of Elasticity of
concretes decreased with the incorporation of EPS. High amounts of EPS contents,
decreased the elastic module more. Effect of polypropylene fibers on module of
elasticity was not clear. Adding silica fume to admixture increased the modulus of
elasticity however using rice husk ash had not positive effect in early ages. Results
of flexural behavior test showed that, the flexural strength decreased with an
increase in the volume of EPS in mixes. Results showed that application of PP
fibers improved the flexural strength of concrete.

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