International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 12 Issue: 07 | Jul 2025
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
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The Effect of Glass and Polypropylene Fibers on the Properties of Concrete Ebtihaj Abu-Elgasim 1, *, Omer Hassan 1,2, Adam Awad 1, Ali Abdullah1, Mohammed Mahmoud1 1School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Sudan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 72,
Eastern Daim, Khartoum, Sudan
2College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------to bridge cracks at high levels of strain [3]. The most Abstract - The use of fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) such
common fiber reinforcements for structural appli- cations include basalt fiber, steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polypropylene (PP), carbon fibers, and natural fibers [1]. The research of fiberglass use as a reinforcement of concrete was first conducted in Russia in the 1940s and was then introduced to the world’s building industry in the early 1970s in the United Kingdom [4]. The use of glass fibers in concrete is becoming more preva- lent nowadays. Normal concrete gives low strength, which is less resistant to cracks. If glass fibers are added to concrete, they impart high tensile strength, control cracking, and also reduce bleeding of water. Moreover, the use of glass fibers yields higher flex- ural strength and improves ductility properties [5]. Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) is a fiberglass mixture with a cement matrix. This mixture maintains the physical and chemical identity of the fiber and even the cement matrix synergistically, reaching a combination of properties that could have never been achieved individually. The fibers retain loads while the cement matrix maintains the location of the fiber reinforcement and also protects the fibers from damage caused by the surrounding environment [4].
as Glass Fiber-reinforced composites (GFRCs) and Polypropylene Fiber-reinforced composites (PFRCs) in construction activities has increased over the past years for their excellent enhancement of many properties of the concrete such as tensile strength, compres- sive strength, cracking resistance, and many others. This study is an attempt to understand the behaviour of these materials. The addition of Glass Fibers (GFs) and Polypropylene Fibers (PFs) into an ordinary Portland cement concrete mix- ture has been studied. This study includes a set of experimental specimens that were constructed by adding GF and PF fibers into the conventional concrete with various percentages by volume fraction, namely 0.0, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.45of GF and 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 of PF fibers. Their effect on the compressive resistance, ten- sile resistance, and workability was recorded. The obtained results indicated that the mechanical properties of concrete were significantly improved by increasing the fiber content. It was found that the ratios of 0.25 GF and 0.2 PF gave the highest results for both compression and tensile resistance, whereas the rest of the ratios had a moderate positive effect on the mix in comparison to the con- trol mix. It was also observed that the workability decreases with the increase of the fiber percentage for both, GF and PF fibers. This can be related to the high-water absorption of the fibers.
Polypropylene is used as a fiber material in various civil engineering applications. Polypropylene fibers are chemically resistant to acids and alkalis and can be used with any type of Portland cement. Polypropylene fiber is a 100% polypropylene-based artificial material that does not require much workmanship in its production, is easy to apply, improves some properties of concrete, and is added to the concrete during production [6].
Key Words: Fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs), Glass fibers (GFs), Polypropylene fibers (PFs), Compressive strength, Tensile strength
1.INTRODUCTION Even though concrete is one of the most used materials and plays a significant role in the construction industry, it is also known for its brittleness in nature and poor tension in comparison to compressive strength [1]. The use of dispersion-reinforced concretes in building structures that bend and experience impact effects has a wide range of applications [2]. Fiber-reinforced cementitious material is a type of concrete in which fibers are utilized and mixed with other ingredients (aggregate, water, cement) and admixtures [1]. Fibers with various geometric characteristics and chemical properties are used to produce such concretes with the desired mechanical properties [2]. The duc- tility of fiber-reinforced concrete depends on the ability of the fibers
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The addition of polypropylene fibers decreases the unit weight of concrete and increases its strength [5]. The inclusion of polypropylene fibers reduces the water permeability and increases the flexural strength due to its high modulus of elasticity [5]. Polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete contains polypropylene fibers in a cemen- titious matrix. Polypropylene fibers are produced from homopolymer polypropylene resin. Polypropylene fibers are commercially utilized mainly to improve the toughness and shrinkage cracking resistance of plain concrete. Polypropylene fibers
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