ABSTRACT

Concrete is a composite material composed of water, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate

and cement. Plain Cement Concrete is brittle and has low tensile strength. Brittleness
can avoid by adding fiber. Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing
fibrous material which increases its structural integrity. It contains short discrete fibers
that are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented. Addition of fibers to concrete
makes it an isotropic material and converts its brittle behavior to ductile behavior.
Fibers include steel fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers and natural
fibers, etc. Fibers are usually used in concrete to control cracking due to plastic
shrinkage and to drying shrinkage. They also reduce the permeability of concrete and
thus reduce bleeding of water. FRC has low impact strength. So we are using different
types of fibers to increase impact strength. A Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete (HFRC)
is formed from a combination of different types of fibers, which differ in material
properties, remain bonded together when added in concrete and retain their identities and
properties.

In a Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete (HFRC), two or more different types of fibers are
rationally combined to produce a cementitious composite that derives benefits from each
of the individual fibers and exhibits a synergistic response. The main aim of the present
experimental investigation was to use different volume fractions of polypropylene fiber
(PPF) and continuously crimped steel fibers to produce HFRC and thus to evaluate its
performance under compression, tension, flexure, shear and impact types of loading.
Based on I.S. Code method of mix design, proportion of different ingredients was
obtained to get M25 grade concrete. Samples were prepared with by varying the volume
fraction of fibers from 0 to 1.0%. Total 9 different types of HFRC matrices were
considered for performance evaluation. The result shows that replacement of optimum
steel content with 0.5% fibers yields improved strength.
 CONTENT

CHAPTER
TITLE PAGE NO.
NO.
INTRODUCTION 1-5
1

1.1 General
1

1.2 Fiber Reinforced Concrete

2

1.3 Hybrid Fiber Reinforced

Concrete
3

1.3.1 Steel Fiber 4

1.3.2 Polypropylene Fiber
4

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6-10

2.1 General
6

2.2 Review Of Earlier Works

6

2.3 Objective And Scope Of

Present Study
9

2.3.1 Objective Of The

10
Work
2.3.2 Scope Of The Work 10
EXPERIMENTAL
3 PROGRAMME
11-22
3.1 General 11
3.2 Material Properties 11
 3.2.1 Cement 11

3.2.2 Fine aggregate

12

3.2.3 Coarse aggregate 14

3.2.4 Water 15

3.2.5 Steel Fiber 16

3.2.6 Polypropylene Fiber 16

3.3 Mix Proportion 17

3.3.1 Introduction 17

3.3.2 Mix Design 17

3.4 Casting Of Test Specimen 20

3.4.1 Test Specimens 20

3.4.2 Preparation Of
Conventional Concrete 20
Mix
3.5 Testing Of Specimens 21

3.5.1 Split Tensile Strength Test 21

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 23-25

4.1 General 23

4.2 Mechanical Properties 23

4.2.1 Split Tensile Strength 23

5 CONCLUSION 26
REFERENCES 27
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL

Concrete is a composite material composed of water, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate

and cement. The amount of concrete used worldwide, ton for ton, is twice that of steel,
wood, plastics, and aluminum combined. Concrete use in the modern world is exceeded
only by that of naturally occurring water. Concrete is also the basis of a large
commercial industry. In Portland cement concrete (and other hydraulic cement concretes),
when the aggregate is mixed together with the dry cement and water, they form a fluid
mass that is easily molded into shape. The cement reacts chemically with the water and
other ingredients to form a hard matrix which binds all the materials together into a
durable stone-like material that has many uses. Often, additives are included in the
mixture to improve the physical properties of the wet mix or the finished material. Most
concrete is poured with reinforcing materials (such as rebar) embedded to provide
tensile strength, yielding concrete. There are many types of concrete available, created
by varying the proportions of the main ingredients below. In this way or by substitution
for the cementitious and aggregate phases, the finished product can be tailored to its
application with varying strength, density, chemical and thermal resistance properties.
Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but much lower tensile strength.
Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion and shrinks as it matures. All
concrete structures crack to due extend, due to shrinkage and tension. Concrete that is
subjected to long duration forces is prone to creep. Testes can be performed to ensure
that the properties of concrete correspond to specifications for the applications. In the
case of HFRC many research works to study the behavior of the material are in an
ongoing stage.

1
1.2 FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

(FRC)

The main disadvantage of the plain concrete is its brittle character. Fibers are introduced
into the concrete to make them ductile and such concrete is called fiber reinforced
concrete. Fiber- reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing fibrous material
which increases its structural integrity. It contains short discrete fibers that are uniformly
distributed and randomly oriented. Fibers include steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic
fibers and natural fibers – each of which lead varying properties to the concrete. In
addition, the character of fiber-reinforced concrete changes with varying concretes, fiber
materials, geometries, distribution, orientation, and densities.

The concept of using fibers or as reinforcement is not new. Fibers have been used as
reinforcement since ancient times. In the 1900s, asbestos fibers were used in concrete. In
the 1950s, the concept of composite materials came into being and fiber-reinforced
concrete was one of the topics of interest. Once the health risks associated with asbestos
were discovered, there was a need to find a replacement for the substance in concrete
and other building materials. By the 1960s, steel, glass (GFRC), and synthetic fibers
such as polypropylene fibers were used in concrete. Research into new fiber-reinforced
concretes continues today.

FRC is the concrete which overcomes some of the limitations of ordinary concrete.
Some of advantages are

High modulus of elasticity for effective long-term reinforcement, even in the hardened
concrete.

Does not rust nor corrode and requires no minimum cover.

Ideal aspect ratio (i.e. relationship between Fiber diameter and length) which makes
them excellent for early-age performance.

Easily placed, Cast, Sprayed and less labor intensive than placing

2
rebar.

Greater retained toughness in conventional concrete mixes.

Higher flexural strength, depending on addition

rate. Can be made into thin sheets or irregular

shapes.

FRC possesses enough plasticity to go under large deformation once the peak load
has been reached.

Fibers are usually used in concrete to control cracking due to plastic shrinkage and to
drying shrinkage. They also reduce the permeability of concrete and thus reduce bleeding
of water. Some types of fibers produce greater impact–, abrasion–, and shatter–resistance
in concrete. Generally fibers do not increase the flexural strength of concrete, and so
cannot replace moment– resisting or structural steel reinforcement. Indeed, some fibers
actually reduce the strength of concrete. Some research indicated that using fibers in
concrete has limited effect on the impact resistance of the materials. This finding is very
important since traditionally, people think that ductility increases when concrete is
reinforced with fibers. The results also indicated that the use of micro fibers offers better
impact resistance to that of longer fibers.

1.3 HYBRID FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE (HFRC)

The main disadvantage of FRC is its low impact strength. Using different
types of fibers increases impact strength. A Hybrid Fiber Reinforced
Concrete (HFRC) is formed from a combination of different types of fibers,
which differ in material properties, remain bonded together when added in
concrete and retain their identities and properties. In this study, steel fiber
and polypropylene fiber are used.

3
1.3.1 Steel Fiber

Steel fiber-reinforced concrete is basically a cheaper and easier to use form

of rebar reinforced concrete. Rebar reinforced concrete uses steel bars that
are laid within the liquid cement, which requires a great deal of preparation
work but make for a much stronger concrete. Steel fiber- reinforced
concrete uses thin steel wires mixed in with the cement. This imparts the
concrete with greater structural strength, reduces cracking and helps
protect against extreme cold. Steel fiber is often used in conjunction with
rebar or one of the other fiber types. Different types of steel fibers- straight
steel fibers, hooked ends steel fibers, round crimped steel fibers, flat
corrugated steel fibers. here we are using crimped steel fiber.

The features imparted on addition of steel fibers are:

Improved structural strength

Reduced steel reinforcement requirements

Improved ductility

Reduced crack widths and control of crack widths thus improving durability

Improved impact & abrasion resistance

1.3.2 Polypropylene Fiber

Polypropylene fibers can be divided into microfibers and macro fibers depending on
their length and the function that they perform in the concrete. An overview of selected
polypropylene fibers available on the market was presented. Moreover, the influence of
polypropylene fibers on physical and mechanical properties of concrete such as
workability; elasticity modulus; compressive, flexural, and tensile strength; toughness;
impact, spalling, freeze-thaw, abrasion resistance; water absorption; porosity; permeability;

4
durability, and eco-friendly and economic properties were discussed. Additionally,
certain restrictions while designing fiber reinforced concrete mixture were mentioned.
The article proved that public spaces are a promising field of polypropylene fiber
reinforced concrete application. Since they are subjected to e.g. unfavorable
environmental conditions, impact damages, surface abrasion, and vandalism, the use of
concrete with enhanced propertied will be undeniably beneficial.

Polypropylene fibrous concrete represents a significant innovation in construction

materials, leveraging the advantageous properties of polypropylene fibers to enhance the
performance of traditional concrete.

5
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 GENERAL

Hybrid fiber reinforced concrete has been using in different countries for various uses.
Various research works are still going on in different institutions and universities foe
better understanding of material behavior. A large number of literatures are available
which describes mechanical properties of HFRC. But the number of studies related to
properties of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete with steel and polypropylene is very
limited. The available literatures gives valuable data regarding the mix design and
material properties. Some of the literatures which are relevant to the present study are
reviewed here.

2.2 REVIEW OF EARLIER WORKS

AmitRana (2013) studied the influence of steel fibres on flexural strength of concrete.
He found out the optimum quantity of steel fibers required to achieve the maximum
flexural strength for M25 grade concrete. From his experimental work it was found that
with increase in steel fibre content in concrete there was a tremendous increase in
Flexural strength. The experimental program associated with this work involved the
preparation of 11 mixes 0%, .75%, 1%, 1.25%,1.5%,2%, 2.5%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6% fibre
volume fraction. The results showing that at 1 % steel fibre content flexural strength of
6.46 N/mm2 was observed against flexural strength 5.36 N/mm2 at 0% hence increase of
1.1% flexural strength was obtained.

Job Thomas and AnanthRamaswamy (2010) studied Mechanical Properties of Steel

Fiber- Reinforced Concrete. They had an experimental program and an analytical
assessment of the influence of addition of fibers on mechanical properties of concrete.
Models derived based on the regression analysis of 60 test data for various mechanical
properties of steel fiber-reinforced concrete have been presented. The various strength
properties studied are cube and cylinder compressive strength, split tensile strength,
6
modulus of rupture and postcracking performance, modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio,
and strain corresponding to peak compressive stress. The variables considered are grade
of concrete, namely, normal strength 35 MPa, moderately high strength 65 MPa, and
high-strength concrete 85 MPa, and the volume fraction of the fiber Vf = 0.0, 0.5,
1.0, and 1.5%. The strength of steel fiber-reinforced concrete predicted using the
proposed models have been compared with the test data from the present study and with
various other test data reported in the literature. The proposed model predicted the test
data quite accurately. The study indicates that the fiber matrix interaction contributes
significantly to enhancement of mechanical properties caused by the introduction of
fibers, which is at variance with both existing models and formulations based on the law
of mixtures.

AbdoullahNamdar et.al. (2013) studied an experimental study on flexural strength

enhancement of concrete by means of small steel fibers. They used Small steel fibres of
10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm length. Quantity of steel fibre- 0.5% and 1%
weight of concrete has been selected. The addition of small steel fibers with different
lengths and proportion have experimentally been analyzed in terms of concrete flexural
strength enhancement. The main objectives of the study are related to the evaluation of
the influence of steel fibers design on the increase of concrete flexural characteristics
and on the mode of failure. Two types of beams have been investigated. The force level,
deflection and time to failure of beams have been measured. The shear crack, flexural
crack and intermediate shear-flexural crack have been studied. The steel fiber content
controlled crack morphology. Flexural strength and time to failure of fiber reinforce
concrete could be further enhanced if, instead of smooth steel fibers, corrugated fibers
were used. Research outcomes indicate that this method is one of the easiest, cost
effective technique and less time consumer for enhancement of flexural strength of
concrete beam. In steel-concrete mixture design, different proportion and length of steel
fibers have been used. Two types of beams have been investigated. It has been
understood that the type of mode failure

7
for concrete beam depends on small steel fiber proportion and distribution. The strain
gauges have been installed on beam, to measure level of applied force, deflection and
time to failure of beams. The morphology of crack has been studied. Shear crack,
flexural crack and intermediate shear-flexural crack have been observed. The steel fiber
has been controlled shear crack morphology. Increase quantity of fiber, improves
flexural strength of beam. To improve flexural strength of thin cross section concrete the
proposed method is well suitable. In this research work smooth steel fiber has been used.
It is well known that deformed steel fiber and rough surface steel fiber exhibit better
performance.

ShrikantHarle, NiteshTantarpale(2013) The experimental study included finding out

the optimum quantity of steel fibers required to achieve the maximum strength for the
M25 grade of concrete. It showed that with the increase in steel fiber content in concrete
the flexural strength was increased in large content. The result showed that at 1% of
steel fibers content flexural strength of 6.46 N/mm2 while it was observed that the
flexural strength of 5.36 N/mm2 was obtained for 0% of steel fibers. The experimental
study was carried out on the steel fiber reinforced self compacting concrete (SFRSCC)
by addition of different content of steel fibers. The results showed that split tensile
strength found to be increased with the addition of steel fibers and the optimum fiber
content for increasing the split tensile strength was found to be 1.75%. When the results
were compared for SFRSCC and normal Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) the increase
in compressive strength was found to be 25.75% and flexural strength as 19.47%. The
study conducted on the structural behavior of steel fibers reinforced fly ash concrete
under the compression as well as flexure. It was observed that the use of steel fiber in
fly ash containing concrete improved its structural properties like flexural tensile
strength. Enhancement of flexural tensile strength and compressive strength obtained by
increasing the percentage of fly ash up to 30% as well as by adding 1% of steel fiber in
concrete. An experimental study was conducted on high strength flowable mortar which
was reinforced with different percentage of steel fibers to determine the physical
properties of concrete. The load- deflection curve under a static flexural load were
established and from that the results indicate that if the fiber content is increased up to

8
 1.75%, not only the flexural strength but also the toughness indices are increased. Also
the experimental results showed that by increasing the steel fibers, the density,
compressive strength and static modulus of elasticity are increased. The study had shown
that the addition of steel fibers in a concrete improved many mechanical properties of
concrete such as tensile strength, impact strength and toughness. The resulting concrete
material possesses higher tensile strength, consolidated response and ductility.From the
experimental data it had been proved that concrete compressive strength, fiber content
and the fiber aspect ratio are the major effectual parameters for specifying the tensile
strength of fiber content. The experimental investigation was carried out with the
incorporation of steel fibers, silica fume and cement had been shown that a strong
composite was produced with superior crack resistance, improved ductility and strength
behavior. The experimental results were compared with the mathematically modeled
expressions. Regression analysis was of large number of experimental results were
carried out and from that the statistical model was prepared. All the properties of
concrete such as compressive strength and modulus of elasticity were increased by
addition of steel fibers. The review study was carried out for the introduction of steel
fibers to obtain steel fiber reinforced concrete in sustainable and long-lasting concrete
structures. The study found that the workability can be adequate to the concrete by
introducing the super plasticizer without affecting the other properties.

2.3 OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF THE PRESENT STUDY

All the literatures discussed above gives an idea about the effect of carbon and steel
fibre addition on concrete and the importance of addition of fibers. Only limited studies
were reported on the hybrid fiber reinforced concrete. Under this context there is an
importance to conduct study on HFRC with steel and polypropylene fiber.

9
2.3.1 OBECTIVE OF THE WORK

The main objectives of the present investigation are:

 To prepare M25 grade conventional concrete mix and to test the

specimens for mechanical properties.
 To prepare FRC with steel fibre at 0.3%, 0.5% of volume of concrete and
determine the optimum dosage of steel.
 To study the mechanical properties of HFRC with steel fibers and polypropylene fibers.

2.3.2 SCOPE OF THE WORK

1. The study is limited to concrete of grade M25.

2. Here no admixture used.
3. Fibers used this study are steel and polypropylene whose optimum combination is found out.
4. This study is done to find the mechanical properties of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete.

10
 CHAPTER 3

EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME

3.1 GENERAL

The main objective is to study the mechanical properties of HFRC with steel and carbon
fibres. For this, control mix was designed and their mechanical properties were tested.
Then FRC were prepared with steel fibre at 0.3%, 0.5% of volume of concrete. The
mechanical properties of this single fibre reinforced concrete are tested and optimum
dosage is obtained. Then polypropylene fibre is added to replace steel fibre at 0.5%,
1.0% of optimum dosage of steel. Then mechanical properties of HFRC mixes were
tested. A total of 30 cubes, 10 cylinders and 10 beams were cast.

3.2 MATERIAL PROPERTIES

The main ingredients used for the manufacture of HFRC are cement, fine aggregate,
coarse aggregate and water. In addition these steel and polypropylene fibers were also
used. Properties of materials were found out by conducting the appropriate tests and the
results obtained for the mix design purpose.

3.2.1 Cement

Physical and chemical properties of cement play a vital role in developing strength of
fresh concrete. Fineness affects water requirements for consistency. From strength point
of view, cement should be finely ground and contains a fair amount of C3S. So in this
study, Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) 33 grade was used and the properties found
out were tabulated in table 3.1

11
 Particulars Values

Grade OPC 33

Manufacturer ULTRATECH

Specific gravity 2.91

Standard consistency, % 31.5

Fineness, % 7

Initial setting time, min 35

Final setting time, min 600

Table 3.1 properties of cement

3.2.2 Fine aggregate

Manufactured sand passing through 4.75 mm sieve and retained on 150 micron was used for
the present investigation. Standard testing procedures were adopted and the results were
shown in table 3.2 and 3.3. Fine aggregate used conforms to IS 383-1970
specification( ZONE II)

Table 3.2 properties of fine aggregate

Particulars Values

Fineness modulus 3.69

Uniformity Co-efficient 7.33

Effective size 0.15

Specific gravity 2.59

12
 Table 3.3 sieve analysis of fine aggregate

Sieve Weight % Cumulative % Percentag IS

size retaine weight weight retained e weight Range
(mm) d in retained( passing for
each %) Zone II
sieve
(g)
4.75 4 0.4 0.4 99.6 90-100

2.36 84 8.4 8.8 91.2 75-100

1.18 305 30.5 39.3 60.7 55-90

0.60 175 17.5 56.8 43.2 35-59

0.30 150 15.0 71.8 28.2 8-30

0.15 193 19.3 91.1 8.9 0-10

0.075 89 8.9 100 0 0

Fig 3.1: Grading curve for fine aggregate

13
3.2.3 Coarse aggregate

Crushed aggregate of maximum size of 20mm and a minimum size of 4.75mm were
used. The aggregate was selected based on the size of the test specimen. The properties
were determined in lab using standard testing procedures were listed in table 3.4 and 3.5.

Table 3.4 properties of coarse aggregate

Particulars Values
Fineness Modulus 7.08
Uniformity Co-efficient 1.38
Effective size 10.5
Specific gravity 2.64
Water absorption (%) 0.69

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

0.1 1 10 100

Log sieve size

Fig 3.2 Grading curve for coarse aggregate

14
 Table 3.5 sieve analysis of coarse aggregate

Sieve eight retained (g) %weight % %weight

passing
size(mm) retained
Cumulativewei
(%)
ght retained
80 0 0 0 100

40 0 0 0 100

20 368 12.267 12.267 87.733

10 2510 83.667 95.934 4.066

4.75 122 4.067 100 0

2.36 0 0 100 0

1.18 0 0 100 0

0.60 0 0 100 0

0.30 0 0 100 0

0.15 0 0 100 0

3.2.4 Water

Water used should be free from impurities. Water from college water supply system was
used for both concreting and curing purposes.

15
3.2.5 Steel fiber

Crimped steel fibers (fig.3.3) were used in this investigation. Steel fibers were added as a
volume fraction with respect to the volume of concrete. The properties of steel fibers are
listed in table 3.6.

Fig 3.3 Steel fiber

Table 3.6 properties of steel fibers

Length 25 mm

Diameter 0.5 mm

Young’s modulus 2x105Mpa

Density 79000N/m3

3.2.6 Polypropylene fiber

Polypropylene fiber is added to steel fiber dosage by volume fraction of concrete.

The properties of polypropylene fibers are listed in table3.7.

16
 Fig 3.4 Polypropylene fibers

3.7 properties of polypropylene fibers

Density 0.92 g/cc

Length 30 mm

Diameter 30 microns

Aspect ratio 670

3.3 MIX PROPORTION

3.3.1 Introduction

Mix design can be defined as the process of selecting suitable ingredients of the concrete
and determining their relative proportions with the object of producing concrete of
certain minimum strength and durability as economically as possible. IS code 10262-
1082and IS code 456-2000 were used for designing OPC33 concrete.

3.3.2 Mix design

Target strength, fck =fck+k.s

=25+ (1.65x4)=31.6 N/mm2

Standard deviation from table 1 IS 10262-2009

17
 Selection of water cement ratio

Water cement ratio required for the target mean strength of 31.6 N/mm2is 0.45.
(From IS 10262-2009)

Selection of water content

From table 5, IS 456-2000, the maximum water content for 20mm aggregate equal to
186 litres (for 25 to 50mm slump range).

Estimated water content for 75 mm slump = 186 + (3x186/100)

=191.58 L

=190 L

Selection of air content

From table 3, IS 10262- 1982 for 20mm aggregate size air content is 2% volume of
concrete.

Determination of cement
content water cement ratio =
0.45
water = 190 L cement =190/0.45

=422 kg/m3

~350 kg/m3

From table 5 of IS 456-2000 minimum cement content for severe exposure condition.

350> 250 kg/m3

Determination of coarse and fine

aggregate V =[ W + c/sc+ 1/p xfa/Sfa ] x
1/1000

18
From table 3, IS 10262-1982 for the maximum size of aggregate of 20 mm the amount of
entrapped air in the wet concrete is 2%. Taking this int account and applying equations.

V = absolute volume of fresh concrete, which is equal to gross volume (m3)

minus the volume of entrapped air

= 0.98 m3

W = mass of water per m3of concrete

=190 kg/m3

Sc= specific gravity of cement =2.91

C = Mass of cement (kg) per m3 of concrete

= 350 kg/m3

P = ratio of FA to total aggregate by absolute volume = 0.35 fa, ca

= total mass of FA and CA (kg) per m3 of concrete Sca = Specific

gravity of CA =2.64

Sfa = specific gravity of FA = 2.59 w/c ratio 0.45, cement = 350

kg/m3

0.98 =[ 190 +350/2.91 +1/0.35 x fa/2.59 ] x1/1000

fa = 607.10 kg/m3

19
 ca = (1-p) x fa x Sca/(Sfa x p)

=(1-0.35) X 607.10x2.64/(0.35x2.59)

=1149.24 kg/m3

Table 3.8 mix proportion for conventional concrete grade M25

Water 190 Litre

Cement 350 kg/m3

FA 607.10 kg/m3

CA 1149.24 kg/m3

Thus themix ratio becomes 1: 1.73: 3.28

Water cement ratio = 0.45

3.4 CASTING OF TEST SPECIMENS

3.4.1 Test specimens

To the conventional concrete mix steel fibers are added at 0.30%, 0.50% by volume fraction.
Then polypropylene fibers are added to steel fibers at 0.50% and 1.00%. Thus hybrid fibre
concrete mix is obtained. To study the different mechanical properties such as compressive
strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, specimens were
prepared.

3.4.2 Preparation of conventional concrete mix

The mixing is done in tilting drum mixer. First coarse aggregates are added to the mixer
after wetting the drum with water. Then fine aggregate are added and they are allowed to
mix thoroughly for 1 min. Then water is added to the mix and mixed for 3 mins. Fibers
are further added to the mix and mixing is done. Then the drum is tilted and mix is

20
 poured into pan. The specimens are cast in standard mould of cylinder. Vibrating
machine is used for uniformly placing the concrete mix in the mould. The specimens are
demoulded after 24 hours. They are put in the curing tank for curing. The details of
specimens are given in table 3.9.

Table 3.9 Details of test specimens

Sl no Specimen Size(mm) Test Number

1 Cylinder 150 x 300 Split tensile strength 9

3.5 TESTING OF SPECIMENS

The control mix and SFRC are tested for the mechanical properties listed below. The
optimum steel fiber is selected only by testing the SFRC compressive strength. The
HFRC mixes are tested for all the below mechanical properties.

3.5.1 Split tensile strength test

The split tensile strength test is a well-known indirect test used for determining the tensile
strength of concrete. Test was carried out on concrete cylinder of size 150mm x 300mm.
In split tensile strength test, Concrete cylinder was placed with its axis horizontal,
between the loading surface of a compression testing machine and the load was applied
until failure occurred due to a splitting in the plane, containing the vertical diameter of the
specimen. In order to reduce the magnitude of high compression stress near the points of
application of the load, narrow packing strips of plywood were placed between the
specimen and loading plates of the testing machine. The split tensile strength was
determined after 28day water curing.

21
Fig 3.6. split tensile strength test

22
 CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 GENERAL

The specimens are tested for various properties after 28 days of curing. Compressive
strength, split tensile strength were calculated for the specimens.

4.2 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

4.2.1 SPLIT TENSILE STRENGTH

The split tensile value for both ordinary concrete and FRC cylinder of size 150mm
x300mm for 28 days is shown in table 4.1 and fig 4.1. Steel fibers and polypropylene
fibers are added from 0.3% to 1.0% of volume of concrete.

Table 4.1 split tensile strength of FRC

28th day Split Tensile Strength

Specimens
(N/mm2)

Conventional mix 6.72

FRC- 0.3% steel 6.73

FRC- 0.5% steel 6.91

FRC- 1.0% steel 7.29

23
 Fig 4.1 split tensile strength of FRC

The split tensile strength of normal control mix for 28 days was 6.72 N/mm2. With
addition of steel fiber and polypropylene fiber split tensile strength increased with
increase in fiber volume fraction.

The split tensile strength for hybrid fiber combinations of 0 . 3 % , 0 . 5 % , 1 . 0 % at

28 days are shown in table 4.2 and fig 4.2

Specimens Split Tensile Strength (N/mm2)

HFRC- S03P05 7.2

HFRC- S05P05 7.29

HFRC- S05P10 6.94

Table 4.2 Split tensile strength of HFRC

24
 Fig 4.2 : variation of split tensile strength for HFRC

For the hybrid combination of 50% steel fiber and 50% polypropylene fiber, the split tensile
decreased when compared to SFRC mix for 28 days. Thus tensile strength decreased with addition
of hybrid fiber.

25
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

As we conclude this project, the heightened strength observed in the specific FRC mix (0.5% steel
fiber, 0.5% polypropylene fiber) stands as a testament to the efficiency of this innovative approach.
The implications extend beyond the confines of our experiment, offering a practical solution for
engineers and builders seeking reliable materials that push the boundaries of traditional concrete.

A brief state-of-the-art report on fiber reinforced concrete is presented. Our understanding of

fiber-matrix interaction, reinforcement mechanisms and performance characteristics is fairly
advanced. Fiber reinforced concrete is a promising material to be used in the Middle-East for
sustainable and long-lasting concrete structures. Its performance has already been proven in
other hot and arid climates and in other chemically deleterious environments.

This conclusion marks not just the end of a project, but the beginning of a narrative that
encourages further research and application of Fiber Reinforced Concrete in shaping the future of
resilient and sustainable construction.

26
 REFERENCES:

[1] R.N. Swamy, “Testing and Test methods of Fiber Cement

Composites”, Published 1978, (pp 42-43).

[2] Surendra P. Shah , James I. Daniel, Darmawan Ludirdja,

“Toughness of Glass Fiber reinforced concrete panels subjected to
accelerated aging”, PCI Journal, September October 1987, (pp 83-
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[3] Arnon Bentur and Sidney mindess , “ Fiber reinforced

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