Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200

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Composites Part B
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compositesb

Characterization and optimization of hardened properties of self- T

consolidating concrete incorporating recycled steel, industrial steel,
polypropylene and hybrid fibers
M. Mastalia,∗, A. Dalvandb, A.R. Sattarifardc, Z. Abdollahnejada, M. Illikainena
a
Fibre and Particle Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Univ. of Oulu, P.O. Box 4300, 90014, Oulu, Finland
b
Department of Engineering, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
c
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

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

Keywords: This paper presents an experimental/analytical investigation to examine the feasibility of hybrid fibers in self-
Recycled steel fiber consolidating concrete containing different fiber types (industrial steel fiber, recycled steel fibers, and
Industrial steel fiber Polypropylene fiber), contents (0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.5% in Vol.), and combinations (as single and blended fibers).
Polypropylene fiber Fresh and hardened properties of the fiber reinforced self-consolidating concrete were assessed, considering total
Mechanical properties
fiber volume fraction of 1.5%. The fresh state properties were assessed in terms of flow slump diameter and T500.
Impact resistance
Moreover, the hardened state properties of specimens were characterized by using the ultrasonic pulse velocity,
Two-parameter Weibull
Optimization procedure the compressive strength, the splitting tensile strength, the flexural strength, and the impact resistance. Then, a
statistical method based two-parameter Weibull and an optimization procedure were executed on the collected
experimental results.
The results showed an enhancement of mechanical properties and impact resistance in self-consolidating
concrete by the addition of fiber, which was significantly governed by fiber type, content, and combination.
Moreover, the optimization procedure revealed that the best performance in terms of maximum mechanical
properties and impact resistance, as well as the minimum cost, was achieved in the mixture reinforced with 1.5%
recycled steel fiber (Rst1.5) as mono-fiber and the mixture reinforced with 1% industrial steel fiber and 0.5%
recycled steel fiber (St1Rst0.5) as hybrid fiber. In addition, the statistical study showed that the two-parameter
Weibull could be adopted to analyze the distribution of the first crack (FC) and ultimate crack (UC) impact
resistance.

1. Introduction waste materials obtained from different sources in concrete [1–8]. In

During the last three decades, the feasibility of using fiber re-
inforced concrete (FRC) to enhance the structural performance of re-
inforced concrete (RC) structures has been approved experimentally
and numerically. FRC significantly improves load carrying capacity and
energy absorption capability as compared to the plain concrete. Various
industrial types of fibers such as steel, carbon, glass, polypropylene,
nylon, etc. have been used to reinforce the plain concrete. Averagely, a
total of 60 million tons of different fibers is used to reinforce plain
cement-based composites every year around the world, production of
which requires a huge amount of raw materials. Therefore, using re-
cycled fibers from waste sources could be an alternative solution, which
decreases negative environmental impacts and construction costs.
Various studies have been executed to assess the feasibility of using
this regard, among various recycled fibers, recycled steel fibers (RSFs)
indicated a remarkable improvement in mechanical properties and
impact resistance of reinforced mix compositions due to re-hardening
capacity in tension and bending [9–11]. Particularly, this enhancement
is intensified in terms of the post-cracking behavior of reinforced fiber
composites [9–11]. RSFs are mainly recovered from waste tyres. In
2009, the Rubber Manufacturer's Association estimated that 292 mil-
lion tyres were generated in the United States. However, 42 states have
restricted tyre landfill and only 8 states have no restrictions on placing
scrap tyres in landfills. In 2004, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA)
members fully agreed to appropriately collect, recycle and reuse all
tyres [12]. Now, this program is ongoing in many U.S. states and
around 110 million tyres are annually recycled. Using this huge amount
of recycled tyres creates a substantially smaller carbon footprint and

∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: Mohammad.mastali@oulu.fi (M. Mastali).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.06.021
Received 15 March 2018; Received in revised form 14 May 2018; Accepted 16 June 2018
Available online 19 June 2018
1359-8368/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
M. Mastali et al. Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200

helps the rubber recycling industry to generate more than $1.6 billion Table 1
in economic activity annually in the U.S. and account for nearly 8000 Chemical composition and physical properties of OPC and fly ash.
jobs [13]. Thus, using recycled steel fibers recovered from tyres in re- Composition OPC (%) Fly ash (%)
inforcing concrete not only reduces both construction cost and negative
environmental impacts, but also significantly improves mechanical SiO2 21.10 72.10
Al2O3 4.37 24.70
properties and impact resistance of the plain concrete.
Fe2O3 3.88 1.20
Martinelli et al. in Ref. [11] reported that industrial steel fibers MgO 1.56 0.18
could not be replaced by an equal amount of recycled ones without a K2O 0.52 0.50
significant decay in the relevant mechanical properties. Thus, some Na2O 0.39 0.10
innovative solutions were proposed to overcome this deficiency such as CaO 63.33 0.10
TiO2 – 1.40
using different industrial fibers as the hybrid. Using hybrid fibers pro-
SO3 – ≤0.10
vides a synergistic action on the resulting pre- and post-crack behavior C3S 51.00 –
of fiber reinforced specimens [11]. C2S 22.70 –
Mechanical properties of fiber concrete reinforced containing both C3A 5.10 –
C4AF 11.90 –
industrial and recycled steel fibers were reported in Ref. [11]. The re-
Physical properties
sults revealed that fibers had a negligible impact on increasing or de- Specific gravity 3.11 2.30
creasing trend of the compressive strength, while the addition of re- Specific surface (cm2/g) 3000 3430
cycled steel fiber had a significant effect on the deterioration of the
post-cracking behavior.
With respect to literature, no extensive experimental, statistical and Table 2
optimization studies have yet been reported on the effect of using only The proportions of mix composition (kg).
one type of fibers (steel, recycled steel, polypropylene (PP)) and a blend OPC Fly ash Aggregate Superplasticizer (SP) Water
of fibers (steel/PP, steel/recycled steel, and recycled steel/PP) on the
impact resistance and mechanical properties of the fiber reinforced self- 457.00 457.00 457.00 2.74 347.00
consolidating concrete.
To the best knowledge of the authors, one study has been carried
Table 3
out on the impact resistance and mechanical characterizations of the
The nomenclature of mixtures, dosage and type of fibers.
reinforced self-consolidating concrete with hybrid-recycled steel and PP
fibers [17]. However, some investigations have been conducted on Dosage and type of fiber (in Vol. %)
mechanical properties of normal concrete reinforced with hybrid steel-
Industrial steel fiber Polypropylene fiber Recycled steel fiber
PP fiber [10,14,15]. Moreover, an investigation was executed on the
mechanical behavior of self-consolidating concrete incorporating hy- Reference 0.00 0.00 0.00
brid short and long steel fibers [16]. Yet, no experimental, statistical, St0.5PP1 0.50 1.00 0.00
and optimization studies have been observed on the hardened state St1PP0.5 1.00 0.50 0.00
St1.5 1.50 0.00 0.00
properties of the reinforced self-consolidating concrete by using single PP1.5 0.00 1.50 0.00
(steel, recycled steel, PP) and blended fibers (steel/PP, steel/recycled St0.75PP0.75 0.75 0.75 0.00
steel, and recycled steel/PP). Therefore, this study established to in- Rst1.5 0.00 0.00 1.50
vestigate the synergistic action of hybrid fibers on the resulting pre- and St0.5Rst1 0.50 0.00 1.00
St0.75Rst0.75 0.75 0.00 0.75
post-crack behavior of fiber-reinforced specimens.
St1Rst0.5 1.00 0.00 0.50
PP0.5Rst1 0.00 0.50 1.00
2. Experimental program PP0.75Rst0.75 0.00 0.75 0.75
PP1Rst0.5 0.00 1.00 0.50
2.1. Materials and design of mix composition

The ingredients of mix composition used in this study were com- lengths and diameters of fibers had great variabilities. Therefore, a
posed of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) 42.5R, fly ash, aggregates, statistical analysis was used to define the geometric properties of re-
water and superplasticizer (SP). Table 1 lists the chemical composition cycled fibers in this study by using 150 fibers. Concerning this analysis,
and physical properties of OPC and fly ash. To adjust the workability of an average length over 50 mm and the diameter of 0.15 ± 0.05 mm
mix composition a water reducer was used, which reduce 10–15% were measured for recycled steel fibers. More details can be obtained in
water consumption at the small dosage and up to 30% at high dosage. A Refs. [9–11,20]. The mechanical properties of industrial steel and
grain size distribution was obtained for sand grains based on the ASTM polypropylene fibers were listed in Table 4. Moreover, the used fibers in
D6913 recommendation [18], which sand grains were distributed be- this study are shown in Fig. 1.
tween the minimum and maximum grain sizes of 0.2 mm and 4.76 mm, In the batching process, the cement, fly ash and aggregates were
respectively. The used fly ash in mix composition was classified in class initially mixed for 1 min in a mixer. Then, superplasticizer (SP) and
F regarding the ASTM C618 recommendation [19]. The proportions of water were added to the mixture and then, the mix composition was
mix composition were listed in Table 2, which these proportions were stirred for a further 4 min. Finally, to avoid unfavorable effects of
obtained based on the minimum slump flow diameter of 650 mm and adding fibers like balling, fibers were gradually added to the mix
the compressive strength equal or greater than 50 MPa for the plain compositions and then mixed for a further 2 min. Afterward, fresh self-
self-consolidating concrete. In this study, various fibers (recycled steel
fiber, industrial steel fiber and polypropylene fiber) with different Table 4
Mechanical properties of polypropylene and industrial steel fibers.
contents and combinations were used to reinforce mixtures with con-
stant fiber volume fraction of 1.5%. Considering different fiber com- Fiber name Length/Diameter Young's modulus Tensile strength
binations, contents and types, totally thirteen different mix composi- (mm/mm) (GPa) (MPa)
tions were prepared. Table 3 indicates the designated mix
Industrial steel 47 200 1300
compositions, contents and combinations of fibers. Polypropylene 461 5 600
Regarding the irregular geometry of recycled steel fibers, the

187
M. Mastali et al.
Fig. 1. Used fiber: a) Industrial (virgin) steel fiber; b) Recycled steel fiber; c) PP fiber.
consolidating concrete was cast into cubic molds
(100 × 100 × 100 mm), prismatic beams (420 × 80 × 60 mm), cy-
lindrical molds (150 × 300 mm) and cylindrical disk molds
(150 × 65 mm) to assess mechanical properties, including the com-
pressive strength, the flexural strength, the splitting tensile strength and
impact resistance of specimens, respectively. It is worth mentioning
that the cubic specimens (100 × 100 × 100 mm) were employed for
assessing the ultrasonic pulse velocity as one of the nondestructive tests
and then, reused for measuring the compressive strength. After casting,
the specimens were maintained at a temperature of 25 °C and relative
humidity (RH) of 85% for 24 h and then, the specimens were demolded
and cured in water tanks with a temperature of 20 °C for 28 days.
Totally, one hundred and sixty-nine specimens were tested to char-
acterize the impact resistance and mechanical properties of the re-
inforced and plain self-consolidating concretes.
The slump flow diameter and T500 were used to assess the flow-
ability of the reinforced self-consolidating concrete with 1.5% fiber.
Concerning the measurements, the slump flow diameter and T500 for
the mixture of St1.5 were 600 mm and 6 s, 535 mm and 9 s for PP1.5,
570 mm and 8 s were for Rst1.5, respectively. The minimum flow slump
diameter and the maximum T500 for both mono-FRC and hybrid-FRC
were measured for the mixture reinforced with PP1.5. Based on [21],
the self-consolidating concrete was spread with a slump flow diameter
ranging between 500 and 700 mm.
2.2. Experimental test procedure
2.2.1. Ultrasonic pulse velocity
This test is an in-situ and non-destructive test to assess the quality of
concrete. A pulse of the ultrasonic wave passes the concrete thickness
and through the measuring the time, the velocity of the pulse can be
obtained. Higher velocities show high compactness of concrete, while
slower velocities may indicate concrete with higher air voids. Adding
fibers to concrete affects the air voids and compaction of the concrete.
Therefore, to assess the influences of fibers on the compactness of
specimens, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test as one of the non-de-
structive tests was used. Pulse velocity of specimens can be obtained by
employing the following equation,
L Committee 544 [25]. As shown in Fig. 2b, a steel ball with a weight of
V=
T (1)
where V is pulse velocity (km/S), L is the distance between two trans-
ducers (mm) and T is transmission time (μsec).
2.2.2. Compressive test
According to ASTM C39/C39 M, cubic specimens
(100 × 100 × 100 mm) were employed to assess the influence of using
different fibers on the compactness and capacity of fibers in arresting
further crack propagation under compression load [22]. The loading
rate was 0.32 MPa/s through using a testing machine with a hydraulic
press of 1000 kN static loading capacity. The compressive strength of
each mix composition obtained by averaging three replicate specimens.
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Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200
2.2.3. Splitting tensile test
Totally, thirty-nine cylindrical specimens with the dimension of
150 × 300 mm were used to indicate the influence of fibers on the
splitting tensile strength according to the ASTM C496 recommendation
[23]. A tensile load with the rate of 0.1 MPa/s was imposed to the
specimens with a load cell with capacity 1000 kN. The tensile strength
of specimens was computed based on the following equation,
2P
σt =
πld (2)
where P is the maximum tensile force, l is length of cylinder (300 mm)
and d is diameter of cylinder (150 mm).
2.2.4. Three point bending test
Thirty-nine prismatic beams with the dimension of
(420 × 80 × 60 mm) were used to assess the flexural performance of
the beams made with fiber reinforced concrete and unreinforced con-
crete under three-point bending (TPB) test in accordance with the
ASTM C78 recommendation [24]. The flexural load was recorded by
using a load cell with a capacity of 50 kN and the deflection at mid-span
was registered by using a Linear Variable Differential Transformer
(LVDT) of 10 mm stroke. Fig. 2a illustrates the adopted test setup and
prismatic beams for executing TPB test. For each mix composition,
three prismatic beams were cast, prepared and tested. Totally, thirty-
nine beams evaluated under flexural load with a deflection rate of
0.6 mm/min. The flexural load submitted to the beams under a dis-
placement control. Equation (3) was used to calculate the flexural
strength of specimens under TPB test:
3FL
σf =
2bh2 (3)
where F is the total flexural load, L is span length, b and h are width
(60 mm) and height (80 mm) of beams, respectively.
2.2.5. Repeated drop weight impact test
The addition of fibers may result in enhancing the impact resistance
of disks made of the fiber reinforced concrete. Therefore, regarding the
types of fibers, the repeated drop weight impact test conducted on the
cementitious disks according to the American Concrete Institute (ACI)
4.50 kg drops from a height of 457 mm on the centre of disks. The
impact resistances of disks are assessed in terms of the first and ultimate
crack resistance, and impact absorbed energy.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Ultrasonic pulse velocity
Fig. 3 shows the effects of different fibers on the ultrasonic pulse
velocity (UPV) of different mix compositions. According to the results,
except the mixture containing 1.5% virgin steel fiber, the addition of
fibers reduced the UPV of mix compositions. The introduction of fiber
increases the air voids and reduces the level of compaction; therefore,
M. Mastali et al. Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200

Fig. 2. a) Prismatic beams and adopted test setup for assessing the flexural performance; b) Cementitious disks and adopted apparatus for execution of impact test.

Hybrid steel* Hybrid steel In the hybrid combination of PP and industrial steel fiber, the UPV
and R-steel**
4500
and PP decreased with increasing the content of the PP fiber, so that the
Hybrid R-steel
4000
minimum and maximum reduction of the UPV in the specimens
and PP
St1PP0.5 and St0.5PP1 was achieved about 5% and 15%, respectively,
3500
as compared to the UPV of the reference mixture. In the hybrid com-
3000
bination of industrial and recycled steel fibers, increasing the fiber
UPV (m/S)

2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0 decreased the UPV in the hybrid combination of PP and recycled steel
Fig. 3. Effects of using different fibers on the ultrasonic pulse velocity.
the UPV was mostly reduced in mix compositions containing fibers.
This reduction was governed by the type of fibers used to reinforce the
mix compositions. For instance, the UPV was reduced more than 20% in
the mixtures reinforced with 1.5% PP fiber with respect to the reference
mixture. However, the UPV of mixtures incorporating 1.5% virgin steel
fiber was unaffected by the fiber inclusion.
volume of a fraction of industrial steel fiber increased the UPV. Based
on the results, the minimum and maximum reduction of the UPV in the
specimens St1Rst0.5 and St0.5Rst1, in comparison with the UPV in the
reference mixture, was obtained about 3% and 12%, respectively.
Moreover, it was observed that increasing the content of the PP fiber
fibers so that the minimum and maximum reduction for the UPV was
respectively recorded 14% and 19% in the specimens PP0.5Rst1 and
PP1Rst0.5. Concerning the results, the minimum and maximum con-
tribution of fibers to increasing the air voids of mixtures is attributed to
the industrial steel and PP fibers, respectively. Sadeghi Nik et al. [26]
investigated the UPV in the self-compacting concrete reinforced with
glass fiber, steel fiber and PP fiber [26]. Their findings showed that
addition of steel fibers had no effect on the UPV, while the PP fiber
reduced the UPV. Moreover, it was revealed that addition of the glass
fiber had no specific increasing or decreasing trend on the UPV [26].

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M. Mastali et al.
Hybrid steel
80 Hybrid steel and R-steel
and PP
70
Compressive strength (MPa)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0 respectively, to the adhesive bond and to the debonding process until
Fig. 4. Effects of using different fibers on the compressive strength.
3.2. Compressive strength
The results of the influence of adding fibers on the compressive
strength of mixtures are indicated in Fig. 4. The addition of fibers in-
creases the air voids of mixtures, while fibers simultaneously can limit
the crack propagations. Therefore, the interaction of these two effects
could either increase or decrease the compressive strength. Regarding
the results of the UPV, except the mixture reinforced with 1.5 industrial
steel fiber, the addition of fibers as single or blended increased the
content of air voids. On the contrary, the results indicated that the
compressive strength of mixtures containing fibers increased as com-
pared to the reference mixture due to the capacity of fibers in arresting
further crack propagations.
As shown in Fig. 4, this improvement was significantly governed by
the type and content of the used fibers, because of differences in the
fiber dispersion, bond properties at fiber/matrix interface, and the
provided mechanical anchorage. Using different fibers with different
mechanical and physical properties affects the debonding and frictional
pull-out behavior. It is generally accepted for industrial steel fibers that
the chemical bond can be neglected in favor of the mechanical bond
between the fiber the surrounding matrix, while the frictional stress and
mechanical anchorage provided by the geometry of hooked end in-
dustrial steel fibers are significant [47–51]. Outer surface of PP fiber is
smooth, therefore, only weak interaction between fiber and matrix
occurs during debonding, consisting of slip-dependent interface friction
as well as snubbing friction for fibers bridging at inclined angles
[49,52]. The pullout behavior of smooth fibers like PP fibers can be
represented by a load - slip curve, as shown in Fig. 5a. The pull-out
behavior of smooth fibers consists of debonding and frictional pull-out
behavior. Concerning the debonding criterion in the strength-based
models, debonding initiates when the interfacial shear stress exceeds
the shear strength [46]. Ascending the load to the peak load is asso-
ciated with the adhesive bond (or chemical bond) and the pullout load
almost linearly increases with the slip. The chemical bond is the first
mechanism to be activated on the pullout. The bond properties at in-
terface of fiber/matrix are governed by different items like the nature of
the binder, the presence of additives, and water/binder ratio, fiber type,
and fiber length.
However, before the peak load (B) is attained, usually, a nonlinear
phase in the pullout load-slip curve is observed. Therefore, in the pre-
peak branch two distinct phases are usually observed. The first one, a
linear ascending part (OA), which is associated with the elastic bond.
The second part of the pre-peak branch (AB) starts with the micro-
cracking at interfacial zone, corresponding to the initiation of the de-
bonding process. The interfacial crack stably propagates up to the peak
load, and is usually designated as the critical crack length. After the
maximum load is attained, the load decreases with the increase of slip,
which corresponds to unstable interfacial crack growth on the post-
Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200
peak behavior, i.e. the interfacial crack grows even though the pullout
Hybrid R-steel load decreases, and full debonding will occur (C). Subsequently, the
and PP
fiber pullout occurs under frictional slip (CD). In this part of the post-
peak branch, the frictional stresses are generated due to the abrasion
and compaction processes on the transition zone throughout the slip-
ping of the fiber along its channel, which is governed by wall roughness
[46].
The pullout behavior of hooked end steel fibers can be represented
by a load - slip curve as shown in Fig. 5b. The pre-peak behavior of a
hooked end steel fiber can be described by three branches associated to
distinct phenomenon's. The ascending parts OA and AB are associated,
full debonding occurs at point B. At the maximum pullout load (C) both
curvatures 1 and 2 are deformed (see Fig. 5b), afterward the mechan-
ical anchorage starts to become progressively deformed, the pullout
load starts to decrease (CD). While the fiber is not fully straightened
(DE) another peak load could be observed, which coincide with the
fiber (curvature 2) passing the last corner of the fiber imprint made
[46].
The maximum increase of the compressive strength was measured
about 60% (80 MPa) in the reinforced mixture with 1.5% industrial
steel fiber when compared to the plain self-consolidating mixture
(51 MPa). This improvement was mainly due to mechanical anchorage,
which was provided by the geometry of hooked end industrial steel
fibers. Moreover, the minimum increase of the compressive strength
was recorded about 10% in the specimen PP1Rst0.5, as compared to the
reference mixture. This finding may be caused by the negative synergic
effect of 1% PP fiber and 0.5% recycled steel fiber. For the hybrid
combination of PP and industrial steel fiber, increasing the PP fiber
decreased the compressive strength. This decrease is mainly due to the
use of PP fibers with a smooth surface, which results in forming a weak
bond at interfacial of matrix/fiber. Thus, the maximum and minimum
increases of the compressive strength were registered about 40% and
15% for the specimens St1PP0.5 and St0.5PP1, respectively. The max-
imum increase of the compressive strength with addition of hybrid fi-
bers was achieved in the specimen St1Rst0.5 (about 50%). Also, the
increase of the compressive strength in the specimen St0.75Rst0.75
(about 20%) was lower than that in the specimen St0.5Rst1 (about
30%), as compared to the reference mixture, which was because of the
negative synergic effect of 0.75% industrial and recycled steel fibers.
Furthermore, it was revealed that increasing the content of the recycled
steel fiber increased the compressive strength of reinforced mixtures
with the hybrid combination of PP and recycled steel fibers so that the
maximum increase of the compressive strength was recorded about
30% in the specimen PP0.5Rst1. This confirms that recycled steel fibers
provided mechanical anchorage to increase the compressive strength
due to fiber bridging action. Comparing the results obtained for hybrid
recycled steel fiber/PP and hybrid industrial steel fiber/PP showed that
recycled steel fibers provided a lower mechanical anchorage than
hooked end industrial fibers. On the other hand, recycled steel fibers
would not be able to provide equal mechanical anchorage with the
same content of industrial steel fibers [11]. In 2017, Mastali et al. re-
ported an increase in the compressive strength of mixtures reinforced
with hybrid recycled steel and PP fibers used in reinforcing the self-
consolidating concrete [17].
3.3. Splitting tensile strength
Fig. 6 indicates the efficiency of fibers on the splitting tensile
strength. Like compressive strength, high capacity of fibers in arresting
the further crack propagation resulted in fiber bridging and increasing
the splitting tensile strength.
As shown by the results, the addition of fibers increased the tensile
strength, depending on the fiber type and content. In the mixture re-
inforced with one fiber type, the maximum increase in the tensile
strength was measured approximately 30% with respect to the plain
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M. Mastali et al. Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200

Fig. 5. Pullout relationship between the load and the end-slip for: a) a smooth fiber; b) hooked end fiber [46].

Hybrid steel
Hybrid steel reinforced with recycled steel fibers, as compared with the plain mix-
and R-steel Hybrid R-steel
4.5 and PP and PP ture. Moreover, adding 1.5% PP fiber improved the splitting tensile
Spliƫng tensile strength (MPa)

4 strength about 10%.

3.5 In the mixture reinforced with hybrid fibers, increasing the content
3 of virgin steel fiber resulted in higher improvement due to its superior
mechanical properties and high mechanical anchorage. Therefore, for
2.5
the mixtures reinforced with hybrid industrial steel and PP fiber, the
2
maximum increase of the tensile strength was obtained 20% in the
1.5
specimen reinforced with 1% industrial steel fiber and 0.5% PP fiber.
1 This mixture contained the maximum industrial steel fiber. Moreover,
0.5 the minimum improvement was recorded as 10% for the specimen re-
0 inforced with 0.5% virgin steel fiber and 1% PP fiber.
Interestingly, promising results were observed regarding the usage
of hybrid fibers as recycled and industrial steel ones. As aforesaid, the
maximum efficiency of fibers in bridging action was observed for in-
dustrial steel fiber followed by recycled steel fibers. Thus, the maximum
Fig. 6. Effects of using different fibers on the splitting tensile strength.
increase of splitting tensile strength for the hybrid recycled and virgin
steel fibers was observed 27% in the mixture reinforced with 1% in-
mixture. This can be justified through the maximum mechanical an- dustrial steel fiber and 0.5% recycled steel fiber. This is because of the
chorage and high stiffness provided by virgin steel fibers. Moreover, the minimum increase of the tensile strength compared to the plain self-
increase of the tensile strength was recorded about 25% in the specimen consolidating concrete was recorded 23% for the specimen St0.5Rst1.

191
M. Mastali et al.
Fig. 7. The surface morphology of: a) Industrial steel fiber; b) Recycled steel fiber; c) PP fiber.
The results also showed that providing good mechanical anchorage
through recycled and virgin steel fibers led to minimized differences
between the maximum and minimum increase of tensile strength.
As shown in Fig. 7, PP fibers possess smooth surfaces and thus, a
weak bond could be formed at interfacial of PP fiber/matrix. As a result,
PP fibers had no significant impact on improving the fiber bridging
efficiency and increasing the tensile strength. Therefore, the maximum
increase of splitting tensile strength was recorded 18% in the specimen
PP0.5Rst1 with the minimum content of PP fiber (0.5%). Also, the
minimum increase of splitting tensile strength was measured 7% for the
specimen PP1Rst0.5 with the maximum content of PP fiber (1%).
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Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200
3.4. Flexural strength
The flexural responses of the prismatic beams made with plain and
reinforced self-consolidating concrete are shown in Fig. 8, which de-
rived from the average of three replicated prismatic beams. As in-
dicated by the results presented in Fig. 8a, type of fiber affects the
flexural strength, flexural stiffness, ductility, ultimate deflection cor-
responding to the maximum load, and post-peak residual strength. By
increasing mechanical anchorage of fibers, the flexural and post-peak
residual strengths increased, while the flexural stiffness was reduced.
The maximum and minimum flexural (σ) and post-peak strengths (σ
M. Mastali et al. Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200

7000
Reference
6000
St1.5
5000 PP1.5
Rst1.5
Force (N)

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Midspan deflecƟon (mm)
a)
7000 St1.5
6000 PP1.5

5000 St1PP0.5
St0.75PP0.75
Force (N)

4000
St0.5PP1
3000

2000

1000

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Midspan deflecƟon (mm)
b)
7000 7000
St1.5 Rst1.5
6000 Rst1.5 6000
PP1.5
5000 St1Rst0.5 5000 PP1Rst0.5
St0.75Rst0.75 PP0.75Rst0.75
Force (N)
Force (N)

4000 4000
St0.5Rst1 PP0.5Rst1
3000 3000

2000 2000

1000 1000

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Midspan deflecƟon (mm)
Midspan deflecƟon (mm)
d)
c)

Fig. 8. Force-deflection responses of specimens reinforced with: a) mono-fiber; b) hybrid industrial steel-PP fiber; c) hybrid industrial-recycled steel fiber; d) hybrid
recycled steel-PP fiber.

Post) were measured for the beams reinforced with 1.5% virgin steel and
σ σPost
PP fibers, respectively ( σ1.5% Steel = 1.23 and σ 15% Steel = 3.30 ).
1.5% PP
Furthermore, the minimum and maximum flexural stiffness (EI) was
recorded in the beams reinforced with 1.5% virgin steel and PP fibers,
(EI )
respectively ( (EI ) 1.5% PP = 4.38). In addition, it was observed that the
1.5% Steel
beams reinforced with 1.5% recycled steel fibers indicated lower flex-
ural and post-peak strengths, as compared to the beams reinforced with
1.5% virgin steel fibers
σ
( σ 1.5% Steel = 1.09 and
σPost15% Steel
1.5% Re cycled steel
σPost1.5% Re cycled steel
= 2.47 ), while the flexural stiffness was higher
(EI )1.5% Re cycled steel
( (EI )1.5% Virgin Steel
= 1.35).
Regarding the method proposed by the Japanese Concrete Institute
(JCI), the absorbed energy could be measured by the L/150 (where L is
the span length and equal to 300 mm) of the beams under flexural
loading [27]. According this method, the absorbed energies of the
mixtures were computed and listed in Table 5. The flexural strengths
were calculated based on Equation (3) and shown in Fig. 9. According
to the results, the flexural strengths of mixtures increased in the re-
inforced self-consolidating concrete regardless of the fiber combination,
when compared to the plain self-consolidating concrete. The minimum
and maximum increases of the flexural strengths were measured about
10% (5.5 MPa) and 40% (7 MPa) in the beams reinforced with 1.5% PP
and industrial steel fiber, respectively. By replacing PP and recycled
steel fibers by industrial steel fiber, the flexural strength was reduced.
Also, the maximum increase of the flexural strength of the mixtures
reinforced with the hybrid fibers was observed in the hybrid combi-
nation of industrial/recycled steel fibers (about 35%). The obtained
Post1.5% PP
results for hybrid fibers were expectable, because of higher stiffness of
recycled steel fibers than PP fibers.
There are various methods to assess fracture toughness of the re-
inforced concrete, among which the method proposed in the ASTM
C1018 recommendation was used. According to the ASTM C1018 re-
commendation [28], toughness is calculated at four specific deflections,
including δ, 3δ, 5.5δ and 10.5δ, where δ is the deflection corresponding
to the crack initiation. Furthermore, some parameters are used to ex-
hibit the ratios of post-peak toughness over pre-peak toughness, which
are called toughness indices and denoted by I5, I10, and I20, as defined
in Fig. 10. In addition, the residual strengths are computed based on the
average post-peak load in a specific deflection interval and commonly
determined by:
R5,10 = 20(I10 − I5) (4)
R10,20 = 10(I20 − I10) (5)
Table 5 lists the values of flexural toughness factors, fracture indices
and absorbed energy of beams reinforced by different fiber combina-
tions. As it was expected, using 1.5% virgin steel fiber significantly
improved the toughness indices, absorbed energy and post-peak
toughness (I10 and I20), as compared to the beams reinforced with
1.5% PP and recycled steel fibers. For the hybrid PP/virgin steel fibers
and PP/recycled steel fibers, increasing the content of PP fibers reduced

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Table 5
Flexural toughness indices of fiber reinforced beams.
Designation of specimens I5 I10 I20 I10/I5 I20/I10 R5,10 R10,20 Absorbed energy (kN.mm)

Reference 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 0.38

St1.5 6.02 10.68 17.33 1.77 1.62 93.24 66.49 8.87
Rst1.5 6.16 9.57 14.62 1.55 1.52 68.11 50.53 7.32
PP1.5 6.44 9.06 12.05 1.40 1.33 52.33 29.95 2.73
St1PP0.5 6.60 10.84 16.19 1.64 1.49 84.82 53.40 7.55
St0.75PP0.75 5.67 9.08 13.10 1.60 1.44 68.21 40.18 6.66
St0.5PP1 4.68 7.51 11.28 1.60 1.50 56.50 37.73 6.10
St1Rst0.5 4.65 8.07 12.55 1.73 1.55 68.40 44.82 8.86
St0.75Rst0.75 4.13 6.30 9.25 1.52 1.46 43.48 29.44 6.54
St0.5Rst1 5.86 9.70 15.48 1.65 1.59 76.73 57.82 7.66
PP1Rst0.5 4.69 7.49 11.38 1.59 1.51 56.05 38.86 5.90
PP0.75Rst0.75 4.97 7.65 11.48 1.53 1.50 53.40 38.40 6.54
PP0.5Rst1 5.20 8.29 12.23 1.59 1.47 61.71 39.45 6.96

Hybrid steel higher improvement of the impact resistance; as a result, the maximum
Hybrid steel and R-steel Hybrid R-steel impact resistance of disks was found in the reinforced specimens with
7 and PP
and PP 1.5% industrial steel fiber with the FC and UC resistance of 73 and 115
6
blows, respectively. Such increase in FC and UC was more than 4 and 6
Flexural strength (MPa)

5 times greater than that in the plain concrete disk. For the hybrid fibers,
4
3 steel fiber and 0.5% recycled steel fiber. These enhancements in the FC
2 and UC were about 4 and 5 times greater than those in the plain con-
1
0 ciency of fiber bridging action and subsequently, improved mechanical
Fig. 9. Effects of using different fiber combinations on the flexural strength.
Fig. 10. Definition of flexural toughness indices based on ACTM C1018 [28].
the toughness indices, absorbed energy and post-peak toughness. Also,
no specific increasing or decreasing trend was recorded for the beams
reinforced with the hybrid recycled/industrial steel fibers. Replacing
0.75% recycled steel fiber by industrial steel fibers resulted in reducing
the flexural performance of the beams, while increasing this fiber vo-
lume from 0.75% to 1% interestingly improved the flexural perfor-
mance such that it was comparable with the flexural performance in the
specimen St1Rst0.5.
the best impact resistance was observed as 67 and 101 blows for FC and
UC, respectively in the cementitious disk contributing 1% industrial
crete disks. Concerning the results, provided extra mechanical ancho-
rage by the shape of fibers plays a key role in achieving greater effi-
properties and impact resistance.
The number of post initial crack blows to failure (INPB) as an index
was used to indicate the efficiency of fibers in enhancing the impact
resistance of disks after forming the initial crack. Fig. 11c depicts the
effects of fiber combinations on the INPB. As was expected, the max-
imum INPB was recorded as 42 blows for the reinforced mixture with
1.5% industrial steel fiber, which was more than 21 times as compared
to that in the plain concrete disks. Furthermore, the maximum effi-
ciency of the hybrid fibers in increasing the impact resistance was de-
tected in the mixture reinforced with 1% industrial steel fiber and 0.5%
recycled steel fiber (34 blows).
Interestingly, it was observed that recycled and industrial steel fi-
bers have almost similar effects on increasing the impact resistance of
disks reinforced with hybrid PP/recycled steel and hybrid PP/industrial
steel fibers.
Fig. 12a depicts a fracture surface of the beam, where hybrid in-
dustrial/recycled steel fibers provided bridging action. It was revealed
that fibers were uniformly distributed across the cross-section, which
this may increase the efficiency of fiber bridging action. Since industrial
steel fibers orient three dimensional in the matrix (height and width of
beams are greater than fiber length), bending of fibers at the matrix
crack surface and spalling of the matrix due to the fiber bending oc-
curred for the inclined fibers, as shown in Fig. 12a.
The crack patterns of the plain and reinforced disks with different
fiber combinations are shown in Fig. 12b. As depicted, increasing the
mechanical anchorage of fibers led to form more cracks on the disk
surfaces due to further participation of fibers in bridging action.
4. Analytical results

3.5. Impact resistance 4.1. Statistical analysis of impact results using Weibull distribution

The effects of using different fiber combinations on the impact re-
sistance of disks in terms of the first crack (FC) and ultimate crack (UC)
resistance are indicated in Fig. 11. Regardless of the fiber combination,
introducing fibers improved the impact resistance due to fiber bridging
action. Also, increasing mechanical anchorage of fibers resulted in
Various probabilistic models have been proposed over the last few
decades to statistically analyze concrete in terms of impact tests. The
efficiency of the two-parameter Weibull distribution has been proved
by some investigations [29–32]. Thus, in the present paper, the two-
parameter Weibull distribution is adopted to execute statistical analysis

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M. Mastali et al. Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200

120

The first crack impact resistance

100

80

(Blows)
60

40

20

a)
120
The ulƟmate crack impact resistance

100

80
(Blows)

60

40

20

b)
45
40
35
INPB (Blows)

30
25
20
15
10
5
0

c)
Fig. 11. a) The first crack impact resistance (FC); b) The ultimate crack impact resistance (UC); c) INPB.

through graphical method [32]. The cumulative distribution function F probability. Thus, the probability of survivorship function is re-
(n) of the two-parameter Weibull probability law is expressed by a presented by Equation (7):
probability density function as follows [29,30,33]:
n a
L (n) = 1 − F (n) = exp ⎡−⎛ ⎞ ⎤
n α ⎣ u⎠ ⎦
⎝ (7)
F (n) = 1 − exp ⎡−⎛ ⎞ ⎤
⎣ ⎝u⎠ ⎦ (6)
Taking twice natural logarithm for both sides of Equation (7), gives
where n is the impact life of concrete, α is the Weibull slope, and u is the Equation (8):
scale parameter. The function F(n) corresponds to the failure

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M. Mastali et al. Composites Part B 151 (2018) 186–200

Fig. 12. a) fracture surface of beam under flexural loading; b) failure patterns of disks.

1 ⎞ coefficients of α, β, and R2 for N1 and N2 are listed in Table 6.

LnLn ⎛ = α ln(n) − α ln(u)
The straight-line plots in Figs. 13 and 14 and high R2 (≥0.90) show
⎜ ⎟

⎝ n) ⎠
L ( (8)
that the two-parameter Weibull distribution is an appropriate method
Equation (8) represents a linear relationship between Ln [Ln (1/L for the statistical analysis of the impact resistance. Developing different
(n))] and Ln(n), as presented in Equation (9). equations for N1 and N2 can be derived from different efficiencies of
1 ⎞ fibers on the elastic pre-crack and post-crack behavior, respectively.
Y = ln ln ⎛⎜ β = α ln(u) X = ln(n)
⎟

⎝ L (n) ⎠ (9)
And then,
Y = αX − β (10)
The empirical survivorship function L(n) for impact test data is
obtained by the given Equation (11) [29–31,34,35]:
i R2 values are equal to or higher than 0.79, indicating that these
L=1−
k+1 (11)
where i is the sequence number of the failure specimen and k is the total
number of the impact samples for a certain group. A graph is plotted
between Y and X (as shown in Equation (10)), and the two-parameter
Weibull distribution as an appropriate method will be validated if a
linear relationship is obtained between X and Y, which is a suitable
statistical analysis for expressing the first (N1) and ultimate (N2) crack
resistance. Regarding the linear equations developed through linear
regression for Y and X, the coefficients of α, β, and R2 (coefficient of
determination) in Equation (10) can be obtained. For the experimental
data regarding the number of blows to the FC (N1) and UC (N2) re-
sistance, the distribution of the data and corresponding fitted curves are
respectively depicted in Figs. 13 and 14. Moreover, the obtained
4.2. Regression analysis of the test results
Fig. 15 indicates the correlation between mechanical properties and
impact resistance, which is used for developing the prediction equa-
tions. Regarding the results reported in Ref. [36], R2 of 0.7 or higher is
sufficient for a reasonable reliability model. As displayed in Fig. 15, the
equations can be used with reasonable accuracy to represent the cor-
relation between mechanical properties and impact resistance of the
reinforced specimens regardless of fiber type and content.
4.3. Optimization of the mix compositions
By using the obtained test results and cost of the mix compositions,
an optimization procedure was also executed in the study to select the
most suitable mix compositions in terms of mechanical properties,
impact resistance, and economical aspects. An optimization procedure
is basically obtained by defining a performance criterion for the deci-
sion, where independent and dependent variables affect the final de-
cision and formulation of the parameters [37,38]. The ingredients in

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Fig. 13. Linear regression of N1 in Weibull distribution for the reinforced disks with: a) mono-FRC; b) hybrid industrial steel/PP; c) hybrid industrial steel/recycled
steel; d) hybrid PP/recycled steel.

Fig. 14. Linear regression of N2 in Weibull distribution for the reinforced disks with: a) mono-FRC; b) hybrid industrial steel/PP; c) hybrid industrial steel/recycled
steel; d) hybrid PP/recycled steel.

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Table 6 technique is used which is designated desirability function [38–41].

Linear regression of impact resistance in Weibull distribution. This function takes into account a value between 0 and 1. The max-
Designation of Regression Regression R2 imum and minimum value of the individual desirability function can be
specimens coefficient α coefficient β computed by using Equation (12) and Equation (13), respectively
[42,43]:
N1 Reference 7.696 22.218 0.966
St0.5PP1 9.756 40.363 0.995 tj
⎡ Yj − min f j ⎤
St1PP0.5 8.000 32.177 0.965 dj = ⎢ ⎥
St1.5 23.779 102.460 0.992 max f j − min f j (12)
⎣ ⎦
PP1.5 21.780 84.750 0.963
St0.75PP0.75 9.102 37.056 0.995 tj
Rst1.5 14.062 58.465 0.964 ⎡ max f j − Yj ⎤
dj = ⎢ ⎥
St0.5Rst1 15.198 64.331 0.963 max f j − min f j (13)
St0.75Rst0.75 14.744 61.974 0.963
⎣ ⎦
St1Rst0.5 14.290 59.631 0.964 where dj is the individual desirability function, Yj is the current re-
PP0.5Rst1 13.154 53.837 0.964
sponse, and min fj and max fj are the lowest and highest values of the jth
PP0.75Rst0.75 12.245 49.271 0.964
PP1Rst0.5 8.284 32.985 0.995 response, respectively. The power value tj is a weighting factor of the jth
N2 Reference 8.607 25.76 0.965 response. Since the independent parameters have the same importance,
St0.5PP1 13.333 57.070 0.986 therefore the weighting factor was adopted as 1 [44].
St1PP0.5 28.014 125.220 0.992
Afterward, an overall desirability function (D) was used as the ob-
St1.5 19.677 93.797 0.931
PP1.5 19.869 82.110 0.993 jective function in this paper, as presented in Equation (14). The
St0.75PP0.75 25.408 111.130 0.992 computed individual desirability functions are input in Equation (14) to
Rst1.5 20.873 94.815 0.963 assess the mechanical and impact properties of the mix compositions
St0.5Rst1 25.388 115.510 0.906 combined with the costs.
St0.75Rst0.75 26.480 121.570 0.905
St1Rst0.5 32.900 152.270 0.992 1
D = (d1 × d2 × d3×...×dm) m (14)
PP0.5Rst1 22.657 100.550 0.906
PP0.75Rst0.75 18.729 81.296 0.992
where m is the number of the responses. Since in this study, mechanical
PP1Rst0.5 18.289 77.331 0.906
strengths (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural
strength), INPB, and cost of each mix composition are the variables, m
the mix compositions are the independent variables, while dependent was considered as 5. The aim is to obtain higher values of an overall
variables such as mechanical properties and impact resistance usually desirability function for each mix composition. On the other hand,
change based on the independent variables. If there is only one cri- higher values of the overall desirability function indicated that the mix
terion, the maximum or minimum value is determined and the opti- composition had higher mechanical strengths and impact resistance
mization is not required to be implemented. In order to select the best besides lower cost. To achieve this, it is necessary to obtain the max-
mix compositions in terms of minimum cost and maximum strength, it imum mechanical strength and impact resistance, and the minimum
is required to execute the optimization through employing a mathe- cost. Thus, the individual desirability function for compressive strength,
matical basis to compare the alternatives. Since optimization usually splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and INBP was obtained by
involves with objective functions, a multi-criteria optimization using Equation (12) which maximized these values. Moreover, the de-
sirability function for cost was minimized through using Equation (13).

Fig. 15. Correlation between: a) compressive strength vs. flexural strength; b) compressive strength vs. splitting tensile strength; c) the first vs. ultimate crack
resistance.

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Table 7 the optimization procedure was detected in the mix compositions,

Costs of the materials (Euro/kg) [45]. which contained the maximum content of fibers (1%) with superior
OPC Fly ash Aggregate SP Water PP St RST mechanical properties. For instance, for the specimen St1RSt0.5 that
has the best performance in the optimization procedure, 1% industrial
0.10 0.03 0.02 0.82 0.10 0.14 0.80 0.50 steel fiber and 0.5% recycled steel fiber were used to reinforce the
mixture, where industrial steel fibers have superior mechanical prop-
erties when compared to the recycled steel fibers. As aforementioned,
industrial steel fibers followed by recycled steel fiber and PP fiber
provide the best mechanical properties.
It is worth stating that the results obtained in the optimization
procedure are validated if the importance of each independent para-
meter is considered the same.
The results of this optimization procedure confirmed the previous
findings in Ref. [44], indicating the feasibility of using recycled steel
fibers to achieve more desirable results, as compared to the industrial
steel fibers.

5. Conclusions

This paper investigated an extensive experimental/analytical pro-

gram, consisting of hardened-state properties of reinforced self-con-
Fig. 16. The cost of each mix composition. solidating concrete with polypropylene, recycled steel, industrial steel,
and hybrid fibers. This study represents the results regarding the usage
The mechanical strengths and impact resistance of the mix com- of different fiber types, contents, and combinations on the fresh and
positions were obtained in the previous sections. Therefore, the cost of hardened-state properties of self-consolidating concrete. Afterward, a
each mix composition is the only remaining component to be calcu- statistical method based on the two-parameter Weibull along with re-
lated. Table 7 lists the prices of each ingredient in the mix composi- gression analysis and optimization procedures were executed on the
tions. Regarding the cost of each ingredient, the total price of each mix collected experimental results.
composition for one cubic was calculated and depicted in Fig. 16. As The experimental studies indicated that using different fiber con-
shown by the results, the minimum and maximum costs of the fiber- tents, types, and combinations provide different fiber orientations,
reinforced mixtures were obtained for the specimens PP1.5 (about 110 bond properties at interface of fiber/matrix, mechanical anchorage,
Euro/m3) and St1.5 (about 200 Euro/m3), respectively. fiber failure mechanisms, and subsequently, different capacities in the
The highest individual desirability function value for a mix com- reinforced mixtures to arrest the further crack propagation. As it could
position, which maximized the best result, will be equal to 1. In con- be expected, the obtained results were majorly functioned by the fiber
trast, the minimum individual desirability function value for a mix type, content, and combination.
composition, which minimized the best result, will be equal to 0. The provided extra mechanical anchorage by hooked end shape of
Concerning Equation (14), the overall desirability function for the mix industrial steel fibers led to enhance significantly hardened state
composition that has the maximum and minimum individual desir- properties, so that the best performance in terms of mechanical prop-
ability functions will be obtained as equal to 0 [44]. The overall de- erties and impact resistance were commonly recorded for the specimens
sirability functions of the mixtures were calculated and listed in reinforced with this type of fiber. Since using recycled steel and PP
Table 8. Regarding the results in Table 8, the minimum and maximum fibers as the only fiber type had lower improvement for the mechanical
overall desirability functions were detected in the reinforced specimens strengths and impact resistance compared to industrial steel fiber due to
PP1Rst0.5 and Rst1.5, respectively, interestingly followed by the spe- smoother surface and not providing efficient mechanical anchorage
cimens St1Rst0.5, St1PP0.5, and PP0.5Rst1. caused by fiber shape. However, promising results were measured in
It means that recycled steel fibers provide the best performance in terms of using industrial steel fiber as blended fibers with recycled steel
terms of the maximum mechanical properties and impact resistance, and PP fibers. For instance, the usage of hybrid recycled and virgin steel
and the minimum cost. For the hybrid fibers, the best performance in fibers resulted in enhancing the tensile strength, as compared to the
addition of only single recycled steel fiber. Also, this result was vali-
dated for the flexural performances of reinforced mixtures with the
Table 8 blended fibers, so that the flexural performances were greatly governed
Desirability functions of the reinforced mixtures. by the content of industrial steel fibers. Increasing industrial steel fibers
Designation of Individual desirability functions of Overall effects on providing the mechanical anchorage and subsequently af-
specimens desirability fecting the flexural strength, flexural stiffness, ductility, ultimate de-
Compressive Tensile Flexural INBP Cost function flection corresponding to the maximum load, post-peak residual
strength strength strength
strength, the toughness indices, absorbed energy, and post-peak
St1.5 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 toughness. Since the impact resistance of reinforced mixtures with the
PP1.5 0.24 0.33 0.28 0.27 0.97 0.35 blended fibers interestingly showed that recycled and industrial steel
Rst1.5 0.75 0.76 0.68 0.70 0.37 0.63 fibers have almost similar effects on increasing the impact resistance of
St1PP0.5 0.67 0.70 0.70 0.60 0.32 0.57
disks reinforced with hybrid PP/recycled steel and hybrid PP/industrial
St0.75PP0.75 0.47 0.60 0.56 0.50 0.49 0.52
St0.5PP1 0.28 0.37 0.43 0.37 0.69 0.40 steel fibers. This result may be justified by the nature of the repeated
St1Rst0.5 0.88 0.90 0.87 0.80 0.12 0.58 dynamic impact loading, while mechanical properties were assessed
St0.75Rst0.75 0.37 0.85 0.45 0.75 0.18 0.45 under static monotonic loading.
St0.5Rst1 0.51 0.79 0.71 0.70 0.25 0.54 The analytical analysis showed that the statistical method according
PP1Rst0.5 0.17 0.26 0.33 0.35 0.77 0.33
to the two-parameter Weibull could be adopted to analyze the dis-
PP0.75Rst0.75 0.37 0.45 0.45 0.47 0.67 0.47
PP0.5Rst1 0.51 0.64 0.56 0.57 0.57 0.56 tribution of the first and ultimate impact resistance. Additionally, it was
found that hardened state properties could be correlated linearly with

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coefficient of determination of higher than ≥0.79.
Finally, regarding the defined criteria and assumptions in the opti-
mization procedure, it was detected that the best performance of re-
inforced mixtures with single fiber type could be achieved in-
corporating 1.5% recycled steel fiber. For the hybrid fibers, the best
performance was observed in the mix compositions containing 1% in-
dustrial steel fibers with superior mechanical properties (St1Rst0.5,
St1PP0.5, and PP0.5Rst1). The results obtain in this section confirmed
that using recycled steel fibers has more promising results, as compared
to the industrial steel fibers.
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