International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) Volume: 12 Issue: 11 | Nov 2025
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e-ISSN: 2395-0056 p-ISSN: 2395-0072
An Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties of M30 Grade Concrete Incorporating Silica Fume and Polypropylene Fibre Peram Venkatesh¹, Dr. D. Sreehari Rao² ¹PG Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. ²Asst. Professor, Department of Civil Engineering Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. --------------------------------------------------------------------***------------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract: A growth of interest in the modification of conventional concrete by adding supplementary cementitious materials and synthetic fibre has occurred due to the increasing demand of sustainable, durable and high-performance construction material. This is an experimental study that explores the behaviour of M30 grade concrete with the use of silica fume as a partial substitute of cement (5, 10, 15 and 20 percent by weight) and incorporation of polypropylene fibres (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 percent by weight). Some of the experimental program involved the preparation of standard cube, prism, and cylinder test specimen which were tested on compressive, flexural, and split tensile strength at curing ages of 7, 28, 56, and 90 days. Its findings have shown that silica fume replacement level of 10 percent is optimum as it increased compressive strength by 25.3 percent relative to conventional concrete. Moreover, the polypropylene fibre concentration was added (1 to 1.5 percent) to increase tensile and flexural strength, crack resistance, and ductility. The silica fume decreased workability, which was controlled by the effective use of the superplasticizers. This paper has found that silica fume and polypropylene fibre are synergetic in improving the mechanical properties and durability of concrete, thus suitable in the high-performance and sustainable construction.
Keywords: Cement, Silica Fume, Polypropylene Fibres, Compressive Strength, Flexural Strength, Split Tensile Strength, M30 Concrete, and Sustainable Materials
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INTRODUCTION
Concrete is among the most used building materials throughout the world, because it is versatile, durable, and economical. The global production of concrete is estimated to exceed 10 billion tonnes every year, and it is the most used substance after water (Mehta and Monteiro, 2017). Cement, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates and water are the major components of the traditional concrete. Cement is the cementing agent, and it induces hydration reactions, which help in development of the concrete strength. Nevertheless, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is a highly energy-demanding process, which is related to the considerable carbon dioxide emissions, which constitute 7-8% of the worldwide CO2 emissions (Scrivener et al., 2018). As such, eco-friendly solutions or change in the conventional cement-based systems should be developed to take care of the environmental impact of construction industry. Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) like fly ash, silica fume, slag, and rice husk ash are increasingly being utilized as substitutes of cement in concrete mixtures to replace cement partially. The materials are usually industrial by-products, which enhance the concrete performance at the same time solving the waste disposal environmental issues. One of the best pozzolanic materials is silica fume (SF). It is a by-product of the ferrosilicon and silicon metal industry, and it is amorphous silicon dioxide particles of ultrafine size (Patel and Shah, 2020). Silica fume when present in concrete combines with calcium hydroxide liberated during the hydration of cement to form more calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel, the major strength and durability provider. This pozzolanic activity not only greatly decreases permeability, but also increases compressive strength and resistance to hostile environments including sulphate attack and chloride penetration (Siddique, 2011). Although, Concrete is brittle in nature and has low tensile strength. The structural performance is usually damaged by cracking as a result of shrinkage, loading or environmental stress. In order to overcome these drawbacks, fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) has been introduced. The fibres, whether of steel, glass, carbon or synthetic fibres, are scattered throughout the concrete matrix to enhance the ductile, post-cracking behaviour, and toughness (Banthia and Gupta, 2004). Polypropylene fibre (PPF) is one of the synthetic fibres that have attracted interest because it is economical, inert and corrosion resistant, as well as capable of managing plastic shrinkage cracking (Bharath et al., 2021). The tensile and flexural strength, microcracking, and impact resistance of concrete can be significantly improved with a small quantity of polypropylene fibres (0.5%-2% of cement weight) added on them (Yin et al., 2020).
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