Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties and Durability of High-Content Hybrid Fiber-Polymer Concrete

Materials (Basel). 2021 Oct 20;14(21):6234. doi: 10.3390/ma14216234.

Abstract

Polymer-modified concrete and fiber concrete are two excellent paving materials that improve the performance of some concrete, but the performance of single application material is still limited. In this paper, polymer-modified concrete with strong deformation and fiber concrete with obvious crack resistance and reinforcement effect were compounded by using the idea of composite material design so as to obtain a high-performance pavement material. The basic mechanical properties of high-content hybrid fiber-polymer-modified concrete, such as workability, compression, flexural resistance, and environmental durability (such as sulfate resistance) were studied by using the test regulations of cement concrete in China. The main results were as follows. (1) The hybrid fiber-polymer concrete displayed reliable working performance, high stiffness, and a modulus of elasticity as high as 35.93 GPa. (2) The hybrid fiber-polymer concrete had a compressive strength of 52.82 MPa, which was 31.2% higher than that of the plain C40 concrete (40.25 MPa); the strength of bending of the hybrid concrete was 11.51 MPa, 191.4% higher than that of the plain concrete (3.95 MPa). (3) The corrosion resistance value of the hybrid fiber-polymer concrete was 81.31%, indicating its adjustability to sulfate attack environments. (4) According to cross-sectional scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, the hybrid fiber-polymer concrete was seemingly more integrated with a dense layer of cementing substance on its surface along with fewer microholes and microcracks as when compared to the ordinary concrete. The research showed that hybrid fiber-polymer concrete had superior strength and environmental erosion resistance and was a pavement material with superior mechanical properties.

Keywords: crack resistance mechanism; durability; mechanical properties; polymer-modified concrete; steel fiber-reinforced concrete.