Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108

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Construction and Building Materials

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Flexural performance of SIFCON composites subjected to high

temperature
Ahsanollah Beglarigale ⇑, Çağlar Yalçınkaya, Hüseyin Yiğiter, Halit Yazıcı
_
Department of Civil Engineering, Eng. Faculty, Dokuz Eylül University, Buca, Izmir, Turkey

h i g h l i g h t s

 The flexural performance of SIFCON subjected to high temperature was investigated.

 Significant loss in the cross section of fibers was observed at elevated temperatures.
 Formation of the oxide film makes the fiber slips easier.
 High temperature oxidation of fibers caused a more plastic behavior of SIFCON.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: High temperature resistance is one of the most important parameters which affects the durability and
Received 7 November 2014 service life of materials. Due to synergistic interaction of different mechanisms, mechanical performance
Received in revised form 2 November 2015 can be lowered especially for the multi-component composite materials exposed to high temperature.
Accepted 6 December 2015
Standard or steam cured slurry infiltrated fiber concrete (SIFCON) and slurry specimens were subjected
Available online 12 December 2015
to 300, 600, 750 and 900 °C in the scope of present study. Exposing the specimens to 300 °C enhanced the
mechanical performance, while higher temperatures have detrimental effects on the SIFCON composites
Keywords:
such as the loss in the cross section of steel fibers and the destruction of C–S–H structure. Mechanical test
Steel fiber
Mechanical properties
results were in accordance with micro-structural and thermal analyses.
High-temperature Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
SIFCON

1. Introduction
Despite many advantages of high or ultra-high performance
concrete with very high compressive strength values, these mate-
rials basically remain as a brittle composite. The inclusion of suffi-
cient fibers improves tensile strength with increased deformation
capacity and as a result provides ductility [1,2]. Due to the placing
difficulties emerged from the interlocking effect of high volume of
the fibers, the fiber volume fraction of conventional fiber rein-
forced concrete and ultra-high performance fiber reinforced con-
crete are generally limited to 1–3% [3]. Slurry infiltrated fiber
concrete (SIFCON) is a special type of high performance composite
material including 5–30% steel fiber volume that is produced by
placing steel fibers into a formwork and then infiltrating fine
aggregate and cement rich flowable slurry to coat the fibers. The
maximal fiber volume depends on the fiber geometry and the
vibration effort needed for proper compaction. The shorter fibers
may pack denser than the longer ones and the higher fiber volumes
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ahsan.beglari@gmail.com (A. Beglarigale).
can merely be achieved with careful and sufficient vibration [4].
Fiber alignment affects the behavior of a SIFCON product greatly.
Fibers can be aligned parallel to the stress direction which will
be taken place within the composite or can be placed randomly.
The ultimate strength, residual strength, ductility, and energy
absorption properties are all can be affected by the fiber alignment
[5,6].
SIFCON has superior mechanical properties such as compres-
sive, tensile, shear and especially flexural strengths with extraordi-
nary toughness values. The mechanical properties of SIFCON
depend on fiber and slurry properties such as fiber type, volume,
alignment, compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of
slurry [4,7,8]. Superior toughness property of SIFCON demonstrates
the potential usage area in industrial floors, strengthening and ret-
rofitting works, explosion resistant military structures [9], and
seismic resistant structures [10–12].
SIFCON which will be used in strengthening works as well as
military structures may be exposed to high temperatures for rea-
sons such as fire and explosion. One of the most significant physi-
cal deterioration processes that influences the service life of
cement based composites is high temperature exposure. This study

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.12.034
0950-0618/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
100 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108

aims to clarify the high temperature resistance of SIFCON Table 2

composites. Mix design of SIFCON matrix.

Components
2. Experimental Cement (kg/m3) 400
GGBS (kg/m3) 400
The physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics of Portland cement (CEM SF (kg/m3) 80
I 42.5 R) used in this study are presented in Table 1. The chemical composition of Water (kg/m3) 265
ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and silica fume (SF) are also given in 0–1 mm Limestone (kg/m3) 610
Table 1. Crushed limestone sand and limestone powder with specific gravity of 0–125 lm Limestone (kg/m3) 380
2.60 were used. A polycarboxylate type of superplasticizer (SP) was added to the Superplasticizer (l/m3) 44
mixture to achieve desired workability. Steel fiber with the characteristics of
Water/cement 0.66
0.55 mm diameter, 30 mm length, 1100 MPa tensile strength, 210 GPa modulus of
Water/binding 0.30
elasticity, and 55 aspect ratio was used at a dosage of 20% by volume. Fiber volume
Mini-slump flow (mm) 380
was calculated according to the volume of the mold for each specimen.
V-funnel time (s) 12
Mixture properties are given in Table 2. Ingredients were mixed in a laboratory
type mixer which owns a high speed mixing capacity (470 rpm). Workability of the Compressive strength (5  5  5 cm)
mixtures was measured with the Mini-slump flow test as 380 mm. Mini V-funnel Standard curing (MPa) 76
test was another test held to assess the viscosity of slurry. The mixture’s flow time Steam curing (MPa) 80
was measured as 12 s.
Prismatic specimens (25  60  305 mm) were used to determine the flexural
strength and toughness of the SIFCON composites. At the first stage, fibers were
pre-placed into the molds and then slurry was poured. Fibers were aligned parallel
to the longitudinal dimension of the molds by hand. Yazıcı et al. [13] reported that
proper fiber orientation enhances mechanical performance, particularly flexural
properties of SIFCON. The fiber alignment can be applied in prefabricated elements,
while it is not practical in situ applications like industrial floors.
In this study, the steel fiber volume fraction was 20%. The existing spaces
between the fibers (the 80% of the mold volume) were filled completely by the
slurry. After casting, specimens were kept in saturated humid air at 20 ± 2 °C for
24 h and then, the specimens were demolded. The specimens were cured in water
for 28 days. The temperature of water curing was fixed in 20 ± 2 °C. Six hours after
casting, other group of specimens was put in steam curing cabinet. After 6 h, the
temperature of the cabin was reached to 100 °C and the specimens were kept in this
condition for 12 h.
Before subjecting the specimens to the high temperature, half of the specimens
were kept in water (saturated-surface-dry) to investigate the effect of moisture con-
tent on temperature resistance of the SIFCON specimens. Other specimens were
dried at 50 °C for 48 h. The specimens were subjected to 300, 600, 750, and
900 °C in the oven for 3 h. Three specimens were tested for each exposure condi- Fig. 1. Production and test procedures of the SIFCON specimens.
tion. The average heating rate of the oven was 2.5 °C/min. Afterwards, the oven
was opened and the specimens were cooled slowly.
The flexural strength and the load–deflection graphs were determined by carry-
toughness values were calculated using the area under load–displacement curves.
ing out three-point bending tests by an electro mechanic closed-loop testing sys-
It must be mentioned that the ultimate displacement for toughness calculation
tem. In order to achieve a stable fracture test on the brittle matrix and to obtain
were 15 mm for SIFCON, whereas the area was calculated using the displacement
the postpeak softening branch of the hardened slurry, a lower loading rate was
at peak load for slurry specimens.
applied for plain mortars similar to the previous study [13]. However, in this study
The samples for microstructural investigations were prepared by taking small
the thin plate specimens with only 25 mm height did not allowed to obtain the soft-
pieces from the specimens. The fractured surfaces analyses were studied by using
ening branch under flexural loads. Thus, bending test was applied to the plain mor-
JEOL JSM 6060 electron microscope (SEM). Besides, the polished section specimens
tars and SIFCON specimens at 0.05 mm/min and 0.5 mm/min loading rates,
were investigated by an optical microscope (OM). The original microstructure and
respectively. The ultimate displacement level is about 0.2 mm for plain mortar
the morphology of products were observed through secondary electron imaging
without fibers, while this value reached 15 mm for the fiber incorporated speci-
on fractured surfaces. Small pieces were mounted on the SEM stubs by using carbon
mens. This means that if the 0.05 mm/min loading rate was applied to fiber rein-
paint and were coated with gold. The SEM study was carried out by using an accel-
forced mortars, only the test period of one of the specimens will be
erating voltage of 10 kV.
approximately about 300 min along which is not practical. In addition, loading rate
difference between plain and SIFCON specimens has negligible effects on test
results according to preliminary tests. Mid-span deflection was measured with an 3. Test results and discussions
optical encoder. The specimens were loaded from their mid span and the net dis-
tance between simple supports was 270 mm. The casting procedure of SIFCON
specimens, high temperature oven, and flexural strength test images are presented The load–deflection curves of binder slurry (plain mortar) are
in Fig. 1. Each data presented are the average test result of three specimens. The presented in Fig. 2. The specimens which were subjected to the

Table 1
Physical, chemical and mechanical properties of cement, GGBS and silica fume.

Chemical composition (%) Cement SF GGBS Physical properties

CaO 64.25 0.51 33.30 Cement
SiO2 18.52 92.25 39.60 Specific surface (cm2/g) 3860
Al2O3 4.70 0.88 11.50 Specific gravity 3.15
Fe2O3 3.24 1.98 1.50 SF
MgO 0.93 0.96 7.60 Specific surface (cm2/g)a 210,800
Na2O 0.35 0.45 – Specific gravity 2.2
K2O 0.80 0.12 – GGBS
SO3 3.03 0.33 – Specific surface (cm2/g) 4100
Loss on ignition 3.17 3.0 – Specific gravity 2.9
Eq. Alkali 1.9 – –
a
Nitrogen adsorption.
 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108 101

Fig. 2. Load–displacement curves of the (a) standard water cured and (b) steam cured plain mortar specimens.

Fig. 3. Plain mortar (slurry) specimen subjected to high temperature.

Fig. 4. Load–displacement curves of the SIFCON specimens after high temperature exposure.

flexural strength test were in thin plate form and did not contain
any course aggregate. Due to these conditions, the crack-bridging
phenomenon by aggregate or fiber did not occur and a brittle frac-
ture was observed under bending loading. The slurry specimens
could not withstand high temperature. The specimens were
exploded in the oven at a temperature level of 240–280 °C
(Fig. 3). The explosion can be explained by the narrow and discon-
tinuous pore structure of matrix due to the absence of course
aggregates, low water/binder ratio, and incorporation of silica
fume. It is well known that, concretes which were densified by
means of silica fume are more likely to be exploded due to high
temperature exposure [14–17].
As can be seen from Fig. 2, the maximum flexural loads of the Fig. 5. Diameter loss in the cross section of steel fibers due to high temperature.
steam cured plain mortar are 1.8 and 3 times of the water cured
ones in saturated-surface-dry (SSD) and dried (Oven) conditions,
respectively. The specimens were fractured in a brittle manner. mum load in plain mortar specimens. The displacement at peak
In other words, a sudden load drop was occurred after the maxi- load and peak load value decreased remarkably by oven drying
102 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108

Fig. 6. (a) Flexural strength and (b) toughness values of slurries.

Fig. 7. (a) Flexural strength and (b) toughness of the SIFCON specimens.

Fig. 8. (a) Flexural strength and (b) toughness loss ratios of the SIFCON specimens.

process (50–70%). This behavior is more obvious in water cured
specimens than steam cured ones. The crack pattern of oven-
dried specimens was rough, while the crack in SSD specimens
was occurred in a straight path. This can be explained by micro-
crack formations during drying. Although the 48 h oven drying
(50 °C) is not a detrimental drying method, mix design parameters
such as the 880 kg/m3 binder dosage, 0.30 water/binder ratio, and
aggregates smaller than 1 mm may lead to occur micro cracks in
specimens. Although, the strength of cement based composites
can be increased by increasing surface energy between the C–S–
H layers as a result of the drying shrinkage, the flexural strength
of brittle cementitious materials can be decreased due to the micro
cracks [18].
The capillary water loss occurs around 100 °C. In addition, the
absorbed water begins to evaporate near the 300 °C. In this condi-
tion, shrinkage is in a significant level and the evaporated water
creates a vapor pressure in the pores. Incorporation of silica fume
especially in high strength concretes causes pore refinement, so
an explosion has been occurred under elevated temperature
(Fig. 3). Aydın et al. [19] reported that plain (without fiber) high
strength mortars exploded at 300 °C, while the fiber reinforced
mixtures showed compressive strength gain at 300 °C due to the
closer configuration of capillary pores in the denser cementitious
matrix. In this study, all of the plain specimens have exploded at
a specific degree range between 240 and 280 °C.
The load–deflection curves of the SIFCON composites are pre-
sented in Fig. 4. The fibers changed the fracture behavior of com-
posites completely. Even for 10 mm deflection, SIFCON
composites were still carrying approximately 40% of the maximum
load. As mentioned later, all of the plain specimens without fibers
subjected to the high temperature were exploded; however, inclu-
sion of fibers prevented the explosion of SIFCON composites. The
 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108 103

Fig. 9. Optic microscope images of polished section of the SIFCON specimens. (A) Control and (B) subjected to 300 °C.

Fig. 10. SEM images of the SIFCON specimens. (A) Control and (B) subjected to 300 °C.

saturated-surface-dry and oven-dried conditions did not affect the
strength of the SIFCON specimens significantly. A noticeable
increase in peak load was observed at 300 °C. The flexural strength
gain at 300 °C may be attributed to the four mechanisms. The
strength may be attained by the relief of pressures through drying,
which also creates greater van der Waals forces with a closer con-
figuration of capillary pores [19]. Second mechanism can be related
to the hydration of unhydrated cement particles. The attained
strength may also be explained by the formation of tobermorite
which was formed by the pozzolanic reaction between the unhy-
drated blast furnace slag particles and lime [17]. Finally, the drying
shrinkage of the C–S–H structure may compact the fiber–matrix
interface. Orange et al. [20] have dealt with single fiber pull-out
test in high strength concrete. They reported that the fiber–matrix
bond characteristics have been improved by the pressure in fiber–
matrix interface due to the shrinkage of matrix.
As can be seen from Fig. 4 the peak load of all specimens was
decreased approximately by 40% at 600 °C. However, the flexural
strength of steam cured specimens was still higher than the water
cured ones; but the damage at 600 °C got the higher percentage for
steam cured specimens. The damage level at 750 °C and 900 °C is
much stronger than the 600 °C one. The peak load of SIFCON
specimens was decreased approximately by 70% and 90% at
750 °C and 900 °C, respectively. The importance of curing condition
disappeared beyond 600 °C exposure.
It can be seen from the load–deflection curves of the SIFCON
composites subjected to the high-temperature that increasing
parts of the curves were shifted to the right (Fig. 4). This means
that the stiffness loss occurred with an increase in temperature.
The modulus of elasticity and strength loss at 600, 750, and
900 °C can be explained by a few mechanisms. First of all, the detri-
mental effect of micro-cracks can be formed at the areas of unhy-
drated grains and the Ca(OH)2 concentration [21]. The
decomposition of calcium hydroxide (conversion of Ca(OH)2 into
CaO) can lead to a damage as a result of lime expansion during
the cooling period [22]. In addition, high temperatures especially
above 400 °C lead to an increase in porosity, decomposition of
hydration products, and destruction of C–S–H structure [23].
Decomposition of the limestone aggregate and powders (CaCO3)
around 750 °C is another factor in terms of strength loss. Further-
more, the external surface of steel fibers was covered by oxide film
due to the high temperature (Please see the microstructural inves-
tigation section). The oxidation causes a decrement in cross section
of steel fibers embedded in SIFCON matrix. As can be seen from
104 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108

Fig. 11. Optic microscope images of polished section of the SIFCON specimens subjected to 600 °C.

Fig. 12. SEM images of the SIFCON specimens subjected to 600 °C.

Fig. 5, the loss in the cross section of steel fibers becomes greater
by increasing the temperature. Similar oxide film was also reported
by Caverzan et al. [24]. Besides, this phenomenon causes a signifi-
cant decrement in fiber–matrix bond strength. It is obvious that
the thin concrete cover in SIFCON is an important drawback in
the case of the fibers near the surface. This situation must be con-
sidered for the special applications.
The load–deflection behavior of the SIFCON specimens was
changed by exposing to high temperatures. As can be seen from
Fig. 4 the load drop ratios after the peak load were decreased by
an increasing in temperature above the 300 °C. This behavior is
more pronounced in water cured specimens. This phenomenon
can be attributed to the deterioration of matrix and fiber–matrix
bond. Although the maximum load values decreased by increasing
exposure temperature, SIFCON composites showed more plastic
behavior under flexure through fiber-slip mechanism.
The flexural strength and the toughness values of plain mortar
are presented in Fig. 6. As can be seen from Fig. 6a, flexural
 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108 105

Fig. 13. Optic microscope images of polished section of the SIFCON specimens subjected to 750 °C.

Fig. 14. SEM images of the SIFCON specimens subjected to 750 °C.

strengths of steam cured specimens are approximately two times
higher than the water cured ones. In addition, the flexural strength
values were decreased by 50–70% as a result of oven drying pro-
cess. These behaviors are more significant in the case of toughness
values (Fig. 6b). Generally, the steam curing causes micro cracks
which can decrease the flexural strength of cement based mortars.
However, this behavior is not valid enough in this research due to a
denser aggregate-matrix interfacial transition zone that caused by
incorporating the silica fume and GGBS.
The flexural strength and the toughness values of SIFCON spec-
imens are presented in Fig. 7. As can be seen from Fig. 7a, the flex-
ural strength values of SIFCON composites are 5–25 times higher
than the plain mortar ones. The strength of specimens increased
by 4–27% at 300 °C. The maximum increase was observed in steam
cured specimens. Furthermore, the increase is lower in the case of
oven-dried specimens. This behavior can be explained by extra
curing effect of saturated condition of SSD specimens at elevated
temperatures [19]. The toughness values were increased in the
same way as the flexural strength (Fig. 7b).
As the result of above-mentioned factors, the flexural strength
of the water cured and steam cured specimens at 600 °C were
decreased by 31–33% (oven-SSD) and 35–37% (oven-SSD), respec-
tively (Fig. 8a). As can be seen from Fig. 8b, the toughness loss
for SIFCON composites at 600 °C are 9% and 19–26% (oven and
SSD) for water cured and steam cured specimens, respectively.
The flexural strength of the water cured and steam cured speci-
mens at 750 °C were decreased respectively by 64–71% (oven-
SSD) and 68–76% (oven-SSD). These decrement ratios for tough-
ness are 52–62% (oven-SSD) and 57–77% (oven-SSD) for water
and steam cured specimens in sequence. The flexural strength
and the toughness of specimens at 900 °C were decreased by
90%. The strength loss difference between water and steam cured
specimens or oven-dried and SSD specimens were disappeared at
900 °C.
As can be seen from optic microscope (OM) analysis in Fig. 9B,
there is no significant degradation in SIFCON matrix and steel fiber
at 300 °C as compared to the control specimen one at 20 °C
(Fig. 9A). Furthermore, this behavior can also be seen from
Fig. 10. The matrix has a dense microstructure due to the complete
and closely knit structure of the C–S–H even at 300 °C.
Fig. 11 shows the OM image of polished section of SIFCON spec-
imen after 600 °C. The external surface of the steel fibers was cov-
106 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108

Fig. 15. Optic microscope images of polished section of the SIFCON specimens subjected to 900 °C.

Fig. 16. SEM images of the SIFCON specimens subjected to 900 °C.

ered by an oxide film due to the high temperature. The oxidation
caused a decrement in the cross section of steel fibers and fiber–
matrix bond. Also, formation of the oxide film makes the fiber slips
easier. The greater thickness of oxide film causes more plastic
behavior of the composites. It must be mentioned that this phe-
nomenon was stronger at the sections near the external surface
of the specimens. As can be seen from Figs. 11 and 12 the porosity
of SIFCON matrix increased after 600 °C. Crystals with rounded
morphology were observed in matrix. These formations may be
crystalline a-dicalcium silicate hydrate that is decomposition
products of the C–S–H [19,25]. The thickness of the oxide film in
steel fibers due to the high temperature increased after 750 °C
which caused a higher reduction in the diameter of fibers in com-
parison with 600 °C (Fig. 13). These results are in accordance with
the flexural strength and the toughness values. The porosity of the
matrix increased strongly after 750 °C (Figs. 13 and 14). As can be
seen from Fig. 14, crystals with rounded morphology were also
detected in specimens subjected to 750 °C. Fig. 15 shows that the
SIFCON matrix microstructure is extremely damaged after 900 °C.
In addition, Fig. 15 shows a highly reduction in diameter of steel
 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108
Fig. 17. DTA–TGA analysis of slurries.
fibers due to the high temperature (20–30%). It can be concluded
that the micro-structural investigations are in accordance with
those mechanical test results. As can also be seen from Fig. 16,
the porosity in matrix increased excessively after 900 °C. Further-
more, decomposition of the binder phases of the matrix is clear
in Fig. 16.
The results of the differential thermal analysis (DTA) and the
thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) can be seen in Fig. 17 after dif-
ferent exposure temperatures. The matrix samples taken from
water cured SIFCON specimens which had been subjected to the
high temperatures were tested. The weight loss around 120 °C in
control specimens is attributed to the loss of adsorbed water. On
the other hand, the absorbed water loss is at the temperature
ranges of 120–200 °C. As can be seen from Fig. 17, above-
mentioned weight loss was not occurred in the specimens sub-
jected to high temperatures. Furthermore, the measured weight
loss in the temperature range of 200–600 °C is due to the loss of
chemical bound water of hydrated cement and the decomposition
process of the hydrated cement phases. The peak of Ca(OH)2 in all
the specimens can be seen at about 420 °C. This finding shows that
the Ca(OH)2 even exists in the specimen that subjected to 900 °C.
Decomposition of the CaCO3 around 750–800 °C can be attributed
107
to the limestone aggregate and the limestone powders. By the fact
that the most of decomposition of the CaCO3 has been completed
after 900 °C, but that peak was not observed in the specimens sub-
jected to 900 °C. The weight loss around 700–800 °C can be
explained by decomposition of the CaCO3. The weight loss attribu-
ted to the decomposition of the CaCO3 was not observed in the
specimen subjected to 900 °C. In other words, high temperature
exposure before TGA analysis affected the appearance of the
graphs.
As can be seen from the TGA analysis, the total weight loss of
control specimen is 33.7%, while this ratio for the specimens sub-
jected to 300, 600, 750, and 950 °C are 28.9%, 23.6%, 13.6%, and
2.9%, respectively.
4. Conclusions
The following can be drawn from the results of this study
 The flexural strength values of SIFCON composites are 5–25
times higher than the plain mortar ones according to the curing
condition.
 The plain specimens were exploded at temperature between
240 and 280 °C due to narrow and discontinuous pore structure
of matrix as a result of fine particle-rich mix design. On the
other hand, explosion of matrix phase due to high temperature
was hindered by fiber inclusion (in the case of SIFCON). More-
over, the flexural strength gain was observed in the case of
300 °C. The strength gain can be attributed to the relief of pres-
sures through drying, which also creates greater van der Waals
forces with a closer configuration of capillary pores, the hydra-
tion of unhydrated cement particles, pozzolanic reaction
between the unhydrated blast furnace slag particles and lime,
and more compact fiber–matrix interface as a result of drying
shrinkage of the C–S–H.
 The deterioration of flexural performance of SIFCON exposed to
600 °C and higher temperatures can be explained by the oxida-
tion of external surface of steel fibers which leads to decrease in
the cross section of steel fibers and fiber–matrix bond strength,
besides all of the high temperature based damage mechanisms
in slurry. Although the maximum load values decreased by
increasing exposure temperature, damaged SIFCON composites
showed more plastic behavior under flexure through fiber-slip
mechanism.
 Microstructural investigation revealed that the loss in the cross
section of steel fibers and the destruction of C–S–H structure
become greater with an increase in temperature.
Based on the results of this research, it is recommended that
SIFCON composites may be produced with a concrete cover against
high temperature oxidation of steel fibers, especially for military
structures. Further research is required to develop a high temper-
ature oxidation-resistant coating material for steel fiber or a high
temperature resistant alloy can be used for fiber reinforcement
purposes.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge to Mr. Gökhan YILMAZ from DRACO,
Mr. Okan DUYAR from BASF for materials. The authors would like
to thank Mustafa GEÇER for his assistance in experimental pro-
gram. Special thanks to Avat MOUSHEKAF for her suggestions in
language editing.
108 A. Beglarigale et al. / Construction and Building Materials 104 (2016) 99–108

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