• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.209-220
• /
• 2018

In order to evaluate the effect of hybrid fibers on the flexural performance of tunnel segment at room temperature, twelve reinforced self-consolidating concrete (SCC) symmetric inclination beams containing steel fiber, macro polypropylene fiber, micro polypropylene fiber, and their hybridizations were studied under combined loading of flexure and axial compression. The results indicate that the addition of mono steel fiber and hybrid fibers can enhance the ultimate bearing capacity and cracking behavior of tested beams. These improvements can be further enhanced along with increasing the content of steel fiber and macro PP fiber, but reduced with the increase of the reinforcement ratio of beams. The hybrid effect of steel fiber and macro PP fiber was the most obvious. However, the addition of micro PP fibers led to a degradation to the flexural performance of reinforced beams at room temperature. Meanwhile, the hybrid use of steel fiber and micro polypropylene fiber didn't present an obvious improvement to SCC beams. Compared to micro polypropylene fiber, the macro polypropylene fiber plays a more prominent role on affecting the structural behavior of SCC beams. A calculation method for ultimate bearing capacity of flexural SCC symmetric inclination beams at room temperature by taking appropriate effect of hybrid fibers into consideration was proposed. The prediction results using the proposed model are compared with the experimental data in this study and other literature. The results indicate that the proposed model can estimate the ultimate bearing capacity of SCC symmetric inclination beams containing hybrid fibers subjected to combined action of flexure and axial compression at room temperature.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.124-128
• /
• 2006

Heavy weight of the camouflage materials was always the main problem. To solve it, the low infrared emissivity fibers with the radar absorbing property (LIFR) were prepared. The low infrared emissivity fibers (LIF) were firstly melt-spun by co-extrusion of polypropylene (PP) and PP/various fillers master-batches using general conjugate spinning. The infrared emissivity of LW with AA and ZnO was decreased respectively compared with that of pure polypropylene fibers. The infrared emissivity of LIF with 15 wt% Al and 2 wt% ZnO in the sheath-part can reach 0.58. To improve LIF radar absorbing property, LIFR was prepared by filling the 50 wt% ferrite and bronze in the core-part of LIF. The radar absorbing efficacy of LIFR was good and the infrared emissivity was low. For the characterization, fiber electron intensity instrument and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used for the analysis of mechanical properties, thermal and crystallization behavior of the spun-fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was carried out to observe the particle distribution of the bicomponent fibers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.43 no.5
• /
• pp.623-636
• /
• 2012

The aim of the current work is to describe the flexural behaviour of simply supported concrete beams with tension reinforcement spliced at mid-span. The parameters included in the study were the type of the concrete, the splice length and the configuration of the hooked splice. Fifteen beams were cast using an ordinary concrete mix and two fiber reinforced concrete mixes incorporating steel and polypropylene fibers. Each concrete mix was used to cast five beams with continuous, spliced and hooked spliced tension steel bars. A test beam was reinforced on the tension side with two 12 mm bars and the splice length was 20 and 40 times the bar diameter. The hooked bars were spliced along 20 times the bar diameter and provided with 45-degree and 90-degree hooks. The test results in terms of cracking and ultimate loads, cracking patterns, ductility, and failure modes are reported. The results demonstrated the consequences due to short splices and the improvement in the structural behaviour due to the use of hooks and the confinement provided by the steel and polypropylene fibers.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2000.10a
• /
• pp.655-660
• /
• 2000

This study was performed to verify the properties of concrete used recycled aggregate(0, 30%, 50%). Also, to improve the brittle fracture, energy absorption and apparent ductility of concrete, we added polypropylene fibers(0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0% by volume of concrete). As the experimental results, adding 30% recycled aggregates and 0.5% polypropylene fibers to concrete mixes enhances the properties of both compressive strength and toughness.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.60 no.2
• /
• pp.225-235
• /
• 2016

Fluid impact tests on plates containing mesh reinforcement and polypropylene fibers were modeled and simulated using explicit finite element analysis software, LS-DYNA. The scabbing dimensions obtained by the experiments and the simulations were compared and crack formations were matched. The objective was to test the accuracy and fidelity of the model and to confirm that damage caused by fluid impact on the plates can be estimated with a reasonable accuracy over a wide range of impact velocity.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.411-417
• /
• 2008

The surfaces of henequen fibers, which can be obtained from the leaves of agave plants, were treated with two different media, tap water and sodium hydroxide, that underwent both soaking and ultrasonic methods for the fiber surface treatment. Various biocomposites were fabricated with untreated and treated, chopped henequen fibers and polypropylene using a compression molding method. The result is discussed in terms of interfacial shear strength, flexural properties, dynamic mechanical properties, and fracture surface observations of the biocomposites. The soaking (static method) and ultrasonic (dynamic method) treatments with tap water and sodium hydroxide at different concentrations and treatment times significantly influenced the interfacial, flexural and dynamic mechanical properties of henequen/polypropylene biocomposites. The alkali treatment was more effective than the water treatment in improving the interfacial and mechanical properties of randomly oriented, chopped henequen/PP bio-composites. In addition, the application of the ultrasonic method to each treatment was relatively more effective in increasing the properties than the soaking method, depending on the treatment medium and condition. The greatest improvement in the properties studied was achieved by ultrasonic alkalization of natural fibers, which was in agreement with the other results of interfacial shear strength, flexural strength and modulus, storage modulus, and fracture surfaces.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.227-236
• /
• 2020

Expansive soils are renowned for their swelling-shrinkage property and these volumetric changes resultantly cause huge damage to civil infrastructures. Likewise, subgrades consisting of expansive soils instigate serviceability failures in pavements across various regions of Pakistan and worldwide. This study presents the use of polypropylene fibers to improve the engineering properties of a local swelling soil. The moisture-density relationship, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and elastic modulus (E₅₀), California bearing ratio (CBR) and one-dimensional consolidation behavior of the soil treated with 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8% fibers have been investigated in this study. It is found that the maximum dry density of reinforced soil slightly decreased by 2.8% due to replacement of heavier soil particles by light-weight fibers and the optimum moisture content remained almost unaffected due to non-absorbent nature of the fibers. A significant improvement has been observed in UCS (an increase of 279%), E₅₀ (an increase of 113.6%) and CBR value (an increase of 94.4% under unsoaked and an increase of 55.6% under soaked conditions) of the soil reinforced with 0.4% fibers, thereby providing a better quality subgrade for the construction of pavements on such soils. Free swell and swell pressure of the soil also significantly reduced (94.4% and 87.9%, respectively) with the addition of 0.8% fibers and eventually converting the medium swelling soil to a low swelling class. Similarly, the compression and rebound indices also reduced by 69.9% and 88%, respectively with fiber inclusion of 0.8%. From the experimental evaluations, it emerges that polypropylene fiber has great potential as a low cost and sustainable stabilizing material for widespread swelling soils.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
• /
• 2005.11a
• /
• pp.157-160
• /
• 2005

The surface energies and acid-base interaction between the untreated and treated Jute or Hemp fibers and different matrix compositions of polypropylene-maleic anhydride polypropylene copolymers (PP-MAPP) were investigated using dynamic contact angle measurement. The contribution of the acid-base property into the interfacial adhesion of the natural fibers/matrix systems were characterized by calculating the work adhesion coming from the acid-base interaction. On the other hand, microfailure mechanism of both single Jute and Hemp fiber bundles were investigated using the combination of single fiber tensile test and acoustic emission. Distinctly different micro failure modes of the different natural fiber/polypropylene systems wet ε observed using optical microscope and determined indirectly by AE and their FFT analysis.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.195-205
• /
• 2020

In this study, effect of recycled aggregates and polypropylene fibers on the response of conventionally reinforced concrete element subjected to tensile loading in terms of tension stiffening and strain development was experimentally investigated. For this purpose, concrete prisms of 100 × 100 mm cross section and 500 mm length having one central deformed steel re-bar were cast using fibrous and non-fibrous Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC) with varying percentages of recycled aggregates (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) and tested under uniaxial tensile load. For all fibrous RAC mixes, polypropylene fibers were used at constant dosage of 3.15 kg/㎥. Effect of recycled aggregates and fibers on the compressive strength of concrete was also explored in this study. Through studying tensile load versus global axial deformation of composite and strain development in concrete and steel, it was found that replacement of natural aggregates with recycled aggregates in concrete negatively affected the cracking load, tension stiffening and strain development, and this negative effect was observed to be increased with increasing contents of recycled aggregates in concrete. The results of this study showed that it was possible to minimize the negative effect of recycled aggregates in concrete by the addition of polypropylene fibers. Reinforced concrete element constructed using concrete containing 50% recycled aggregates and polypropylene fibers exhibited cracking behavior, tension stiffening and strain development response almost similar to that of concrete element constructed using natural aggregate concrete without fiber.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
• /
• 1998.10a
• /
• pp.444-448
• /
• 1998

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the compaction and compressive strength of polypropylene fiber reinforced soils. This study has been performed to obtain the physical properties of PFRS(polypropylene fiber reinforced soil) such as strain-stress relationships, OMC(optimum moisture contents) and ${\gamma}$$_{dmax}$ (maximum dry unit weight), with four different concentrations(i.e., 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5% and 1.0% weights) of mono-filament and fibrillated polypropylene fibers. The test results indicate an appreciable increase in strength due to addition of fibers. OMC is increased with the concentration ratio of fiber, but ${\gamma}$$_{dmax}$ is decreased. From the viewpoint of strength, the fibrillated polypropylene fiber soil is more effective than the mono-filament polypropylene fiber soil.oil.