Strength and Permeability of Fibre Reinforced Poor Fines High Strength

Concrete

Kwan Wai Hoe

School of Housing, Building and Planning
Introduction
• Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC) is the concrete
mixed in the conventional way which containing
short discrete and randomly distributed in the
mixture. Typically, these fibres have a well-
known effect in improving structural
performance and integrity, increasing ductility,
shear strength, energy absorption capacity and
damage tolerance in flexural and shear-critical
members under reversed cyclic loading.
• Apart of the numerable advantages has brought by
fibres, there is also some risk to introduce fibres into
concrete. The universal finding was that the
workablilty of fresh concrete greatly affected by
incorporation of fibres. (ACI Committee 309, 2008).
Especially when high volume of fibre has been mixed
into the concrete, the significant level of reducing
effects in workability has substantially increased the
risk of air entrapped in the concrete and hence
affecting its rigidity and followed by durability.
(Tatnall, 2006).
• However, each types of fibre and its composition
gives different effects to the performance of FRC.
Besides that, even though there are tons of
researches have been done in this field, but the
data recorded were inconsistent and therefore
diminishing the confidence of potential user in
the construction industry.
• In this study, the idea is to explore on the
influences newly engineered fibre (Barchip fibre)
on the strength and permeability properties of
poor fine high strength concrete (HSC) and also
compare its performance with the well studied
fibre which is coconut fibre and glass fibre.
Materials
• Type I Portland cement and condensed silica fume
used as partial replacement to the binder content
during the experiment.
• River sand with specific gravity 2.51 and fineness
modulus 3.98 used as fine aggregate. The
undersize particles (below 600 micron) were
eliminated.
• Crushed granite with specific gravity 2.7 and
nominal size 19 mm used as coarse aggregate.
• Conplast SP 1000, a chloride free super plasticizing
admixture based on sulphonated naphthalene
polymers which complying BS 5075
 9

Alkaline Resistance Glass Fibre

Item Unit Standard Test Value

Diameter m 15.0 + 2.3 15.7

Length mm 24 + 1.5 24.4

Moisture % < 0.2 0.18

content

Combustible % 1.9 ÷ 0.3 1.83

matter
Content

Elastic GPa 71.7 – 80.0 72

Modulus

Specific - 2.6 – 2.8 2.7

Gravity

ZrO² % 16.8 + 0.5/0.3 16.57

TiO² % 5.5 + 0.5 5.45

 10

Coconut Fibre
Item Unit Test Value

Diameter mm 0.10 – 0.41

Length mm 20 - 30

Tensile Strength MPa 120 – 200

Elastic Modulus GPa 19– 26

Specific Gravity - 1.13

 11

Barchip Fibre
Characteristic Unit Material
Property
Base resin - Polyolefin

Length mm 24 ± 2

Tensile strength MPa 550

Surface texture - Continuously

embossed
No. fibres per kg Nos. > 50,000

Specific Gravity 0.95

Young’s modulus GPa 8.2

Melting Point °C 150 – 165

Ignition Point °C > 450

 Mix Proportions
Coarse
Cement Silica fume Water SP Sand Fibre by binder volume
Index aggregate
(kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (%)
(kg/m3)

Normal 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 0.0

0.6BF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 0.6
1.2BF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 1.2
1.8BF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 1.8
2.4BF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 2.4
0.6CF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 0.6
1.2CF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 1.2
1.8CF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 1.8
2.4CF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 2.4
0.6GF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 0.6
1.2GF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 1.2
1.8GF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 1.8
2.4GF 435.6 59.4 183 9.9 689 1033 2.4
Experimental
Program
• Thirteen mixes were prepared with the mixture
compositions as shown before and laboratory
conditions ± 26 °C and relative humidity at
±65%.
• Specimens are demoulded after 24 hours and
subjected to water curing at temperature 25±2°C
until the age of testing.
• Compressive strength test - BS EN 12390-
3:2009
• Flexural strength test - BS EN 12390-5:2009
• Permeability test - Leeds cell permeameter
Compression test
Compression test
Flexural Test
Permeability Test
 Permeability Test
100 mm

100 mm

100 mm

500 mm
100 mm
Permeability Test
Permeability Test
 Permeability Test

• K is intrinsic permeability, m2
• P1 is absolute applied pressure bars [pressure
used + atmosphere pressure] usually 2 bars
• P2 is pressure at which the flow rate is
measured [atmosphere pressure] usually 1 bar
• A is cross section areas of specimen, m2
• L is thickness of specimen, m
• V is the flow rate, cm3 / sec
 23

Results
&
Discussion
Compressive
Strength
• CF series specimens have the least sensitivity in
varying the fibre content towards the
achievement of compressive strength, followed
by BF series and GF series specimens.
• BF has the best enhancement effects in
compressive strength
• GF has only increased the compressive strength
of HSC at higher fibre content
• The highest average compressive strength of 79.07 MPa was registered
by HSC reinforced by 1.8% of Barchip fibre

• CF series showed improvement in compressive strength in all level of fibre

content but in a decreasing trend when the fibre content increases.

• GF series showed a parabolic profile in variation of strength.

• The properties of the fibres such as embossed treatment to have contour

surface and high tensile strength as in Barchip fibre and high specific area
of reinforcing posses by monofilament glass fibre, rough surface on the
tough coconut fibre govern the bonding forces at the interfacial zone
between fibre and concrete matrices and the bridging effects across the
cracks during loading stage.

• All of this resulted higher efficiency of load transfer within the

microstructure under loading and therefore contribute to the
enhancements of strength achievement as proven by the results.
Flexural Strength
• Both BF and GF series showed comparable
results at 7 and 28 days.
• GF series has less sensitivity in the variation of
fibre content after received water curing of 28
days
• CF series indicated that coconut fibre seem did
not help much in enhancing the flexural strength
of HSC
• BF series has the highest capability in improving flexural
strength of HSC, up to 1.8% of fibre
• GF series showed an increasing trend towards the high fibre
content.

• CF series showed the results in the other way round. The

flexural strength decreases as the fibre content increases.

• Fibre has very negative effects in altering rheological

behaviour of fresh mix. The frictions exist between fibres and
paste increase the cohesiveness of the mix and therefore
result an unworkable mix. In this situation, the uniformity of
the mix was affected and zone of weakness might probably
formed, which resulted lower flexural strength. However, the
reinforcing effects arise from the fibre is far greater than this.
Permeability
• All of the fibre reinforced specimens attained higher permeability at
both 7 and 28 days.

• CF series showed very large variation in permeability. The intrinsic

permeability increases over the age. In order for this situation to be
happened, it was believed that the coconut fibre was degraded in the
concrete as coconut fibres are alkaline sensitive. The fibres would
complete lost its strength when immersed in alkaline solutions for
300 days. Furthermore, the migration of hydration products
especially calcium hydroxide from matrix to fibres would induce
microcracks around the fibres and caused fibre embrittlement.

• Coconut fibre has a porous cellular structure. The nitrogen gas was
also believed to be passed through the fibre itself during the testing.
Hence, the intrinsic permeability of CF series was relatively high
compared to other specimens.
• the permeability of CF specimens increases drastically as
the fibre content increases.

• BF series and GF series displayed a quite consistent result

• all of the curves was still been plotted above the reference
line which represented the intrinsic permeability of
normal specimen.

• This was partly due to the fibre has high potential than
conventional concrete in entrapping excessive air content
into the mixes as fibre may arise difficulties which would
cause incomplete consolidation.
Conclusions
• Barchip fibre is the best among the fibres that
have been studied in this research. It registered
the highest compressive and flexural strength for
the fibre reinforced HSC and showed
consistency in permeability properties which is
comparable to that of plain HSC.
• Glass fibre is sensitive in changing of contents
when the specimens examined for the
compressive strength performance.
• Coconut fibre has the worse effect in affecting
durability properties of HSC.
Thank you !!!