• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.175-183
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• 2024

Geopolymer, also known as alkali aluminum silicate, is used as a substitute for Portland cement, and it is also used as a binder because of its good adhesive properties and heat resistance. Since Davidovits developed Geopolymer matrix composites (GMCs) based on the binder properties of geopolymer, they have been utilized as flame exhaust ducts and aircraft fire protection materials. Geopolymer structures are formed through hydrolysis and dehydration reactions, and their physical properties can be influenced by reaction conditions such as concentration, reaction time, and temperature. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of silica size and aging time on the mechanical properties of composites. Commercial water glass and kaolin were used to synthesize geopolymers, and two types of silica powder were added to increase the silicon content. Using carbon fiber mats, a fiber-reinforced composite material was fabricated using the hand lay-up method. Spectroscopy was used to confirm polymerization, aging effects, and heat treatment, and composite materials were used to measure flexural strength. As a result, it was confirmed that the longer time aging and use of nano-sized silica particles were helpful in improving the mechanical properties of the geopolymer matrix composite.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2016

In this study, the self-healing effect of a fiber-reinforced cement composite (FRCC) was examined using a drying-wetting test and an outdoor exposure test. The influence of various curing conditions on the self-healing effect of the FRCC was also investigated. The effect of self-healing was evaluated using a permeability coefficient and by investigating the cracks using a optical microscope. The results confirmed that the FRCC was capable of self-healing under a long wetting time and a low drying temperature. In addition, watertight performance by self-healing was shown to have a significant influence on wetting time. Meanwhile, this self-healing effect was enhanced by hydration as a result of rainfall when the FRCC was put under actual environmental conditions. Moreover, it was determined that cracking self-healing can be improved by using the appropriate admixture materials.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.31-39
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• 2021

In this study, the fiber blending ratio and strain rate effect on the tensile properties synergy effect of hybrid fiber reinforced cement composite was evaluated. Hooked steel fiber(HSF) and smooth steel fiber(SSF) were used for reinforcing fiber. The fiber blending ratio of HSF+SSF were 1.5+0.5, 1.0+1.0 and 0.5+1.5vol.%. As a results, in the cement composite(HSF2.0) reinforced with HSF, as the strain rate increases, the tensile stress sharply decreased after the peak stress because of the decrease in the number of straightened pull-out fibers by increase of micro cracks in the matrix around HSF. When 0.5 vol.% of SSF was mixed, the micro cracks was effectively controlled at the static rate, but it was not effective in controlling micro cracks and improving the pull-out resistance of HSF at the high rate. On the other hand, the specimen(HSF1.0SSF1.0) in which 1.0vol.% HSF and 1.0vol.% SSF were mixed, each fibers controls against micro and macro cracks, and SSF improves the pull-out resistance of HSF effectively. Thus, the fiber blending effect of the strain capacity and energy absorption capacity was significantly increased at the high rate, and it showed the highest dynamic increase factor of the tensile strength, strain capacity and peak toughness. On the other hand, the incorporation of 1.5 vol.% SSF increases the number of fibers in the matrix and improves the pull-out resistance of HSF, resulting in the highest fiber blending effect of tensile strength and softening toughness. But as a low volume fraction of HSF which controlling macro crack, it was not effective for synergy of strain capacity and peak toughness.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 2022

Prefabricated exterior wall panel is the main non-load-bearing component of assembly building, which affects the comprehensive performance of thermal insulation and durability of the building. It is of great significance to develop new prefabricated exterior wall panel with durable and lightweight characteristics for the development of energy-saving and assembly building. In the prefabricated sandwich insulation hanging wall panel, the selection of material for the outer layer and the arrangement of the connector of the inner and outer wall layers affect the mechanical performance and durability of the wall panels. In this paper, high performance cement-based composites (HPFRC) are used in the outer layer of the new type wall panel. FRP bars are used as the interface connector. Through experiments and analysis, the influence of the arrangement of connectors on the mechanical behaviors of thin-walled composite wall panel and the panel with window openings under two working conditions are investigated. The failure modes and the role of connectors of thin-walled composite wallboard are analyzed. The influence of the thickness of the wall layer and their combination on the strain growth of the control section, the initial crack resistance, the ultimate bearing capacity and the deformation of the wall panels are analyzed. The research work provides a technical reference for the engineering design of the light-weight thin-walled and durable composite sandwich wall panel.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.543-555
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• 2017

The mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced high strength concrete (SFRHSC) made with binary and ternary blends of metakaolin (MK) and ground pumice (GP) are investigated in this study. The investigated properties are ultrasonic pulse velocity ($U_{pv}$), compressive strength ($f_c$), flexural strength ($f_f$) and splitting tensile strength ($f_{st}$) of SFRHSC. A total of 16 steel fiber reinforced concrete mixtures were produced by a total binder content of $500kg/m^3$ for determining the effects of MK and GP on the mechanical properties. The design $f_c$ was acquired from 70 to 100 MPa by using a low water-binder ratio of 0.2. The test results exhibit that high strength concrete can be obtained by replacing the cement with MK and GP. Besides, correlations between these results are executed for comprehending the relationship between mechanical properties of SFRHSC and the strong correlations are observed between these properties. Moreover, two models in the gene expression programming (GEP) for predicting the $f_c$ of SFRHSC made with binary and ternary blends of MK and GP have been developed. The results obtained from these models are compared with the experimental results. These comparisons proved that the results of equations obtained from these models seem to agree with the experimental results.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.98-105
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• 2017

In this study, the fiber blending ratio and strain rate effect on the tensile behavior of hybrid fiber reinforced cement composite was evaluated. Hooked steel fiber and polyvinyl alcohol fiber were used for reinforcing fiber. The fiber blending ratio of HSF+PVA were 1.5+0.5, 1.0+1.0 and 0.5+1.5vol.%. As a results, the tensile strength, strain capacity and fracture toughness of the hooked steel fiber reinforced cement composites were improved by the increase of the bond strength of the fiber and the matrix according to increase of strain rate. However, the tensile stress sharply decreased after the peak stress because of the decrease in the number of straightened pull-out fibers by micro cracks in the matrix around hooked steel fiber. On the other hand, PVA fiber showed cut-off fracture at strain rate $10^{-6}/s$ with multiple cracks. However, at the strain rate $10^1/s$, the multiple cracks and strain capacity were decreased because of the pull-out fracture of PVA fiber. The HSF1.5PVA0.5 shown the highest tensile strength because the PVA fiber suppressed the micro cracks in the matrix around the hooked steel fiber and improved the pull-out resistance of hooked steel fiber. Thus, DIF of strain capacity and fracture toughness of HSF1.5PVA were greatly improved. In addition, the synergistic response of fracture toughness was positive because the tensile stress was slowly decreased after the peak stress by improvement of the pull-out resistance of hooked steel fiber at strain rate $10^1/s$.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.44-52
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• 2002

Composite materials are created by combining two or more component to achieve desired properties which could not be obtained with the separate components. The use of reinforcing fillers, which can reduce material costs and improve certain properties, is increasing in thermoplastic polymer composites. Currently, various inorganic fillers such as talc, mica, clay, glass fiber and calcium carbonate are being incorporated into thermoplastic composites. Nevertheless, lignocellulose fibers have drawn attention due to their abundant availability, low cost and renewable nature. In recent, interest has grown in composites made from lignocellulose fiber in thermoplastic polymer matrices, particularly for low cost/high volume applications. In addition to high specific properties, lignocellulose fibers offer a number of benefits for lignocellulose fiber/thermoplastic polymer composites. These include low hardness, which minimize abrasion of the equipment during processing, relatively low density, biodegradability, and low cost on a unit-volume basis. In spite of the advantage mentioned above, the use of lignocellulose fibers in thermoplastic polymer composites has been plagued by difficulties in obtaining good dispersion and strong interfacial adhesion because lignocellulose fiber is hydrophilic and thermoplastic polymer is hydrophobic. The application of lignocellulose fibers as reinforcements in composite materials requires, just as for glass-fiber reinforced composites, a strong adhesion between the fiber and the matrix regardless of whether a traditional polymer matrix, a biodegradable polymer matrix or cement is used. Further this article gives a survey about physical and chemical treatment methods which improve the fiber matrix adhesion, their results and effects on the physical properties of composites. Coupling agents in lignocellulose fiber and polymer composites play a very important role in improving the compatibility and adhesion between polar lignocellulose fiber and non-polar polymeric matrices. In this article, we also review various kinds of coupling agent and interfacial mechanism or phenomena between lignocellulose fiber and thermoplastic polymer.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.299-307
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• 2022

Cement-based matrixes have low tensile strength and negligible ductility. Adding fibres to these matrixes will improve their mechanical properties and make these composites suitable for structural applications. Post-cracking tensile strength of steel fibers-reinforced cementitious composite materials is directly related to the number of transverse fibers passing through the crack width and the pulling-out behavior of each of the fibers. Therefore, the exact recognition of the pullout behavior of single fibers is necessary to understand the uniaxial tensile and bending behavior of steel fiber-reinforced concrete. In this paper, an experimental study has been carried out on the pullout behavior of 3D (steel fibers with totally two hooks at both ends), 4D (steel fibers with a total of four hooks at both ends), and 5D (steel fibers with totally six hooks at both ends) in which the fibers have been located either perpendicular to the crack width or in an inclined manner. The pullout behavior of the mentioned steel fibers at an inclination angle of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees and with embedded lengths of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 millimetres is studied in order to explore the simultaneous effect of the inclination angle of the fibers relative to the alongside loading and the embedded length of fibers on the pullout response in each case, including the maximal pullout force, the slip of the maximum point of pullout force, pullout energy, fiber rupture, and concrete matrix spalling. The results showed that the maximum pullout energy in 3D, 4D, and 5D steel fibers with different embedded lengths occurs at 0 to 30° inclination angles. In 5D fibers, maximum pullout energy occurs at a 30° angle with a 25 mm embedded length.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.1009-1012
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• 2008

The fiber dispersion performance in fiber-reinforced cementitious composites is a crucial factor with respect to achieving desired mechanical performance. However, evaluation of the fiber dispersion performance in the composite PVA-ECC(Polyvinyl alcohol-Engineered Cementitious Composite) is extremely challenging because of the low contrast of PVA fibers with the cement-based matrix. In the present work, an enhanced fiber detection technique is developed and demonstrated. Using a fluorescence technique on the PVA-ECC, PVA fibers are observed as green dots in the cross-section of the composite. After capturing the fluorescence image with a Charged Couple Device(CCD) camera through a microscope. The fibers are more accurately detected by employing a series of process based on a categorization, watershed segmentation, and morphological reconstruction.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.617-624
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• 2010

This paper reports on a comprehensive study on the mechanical properties of expansive fiber-reinforced strainhardening cement composite (SHCC) materials containing various replacement levels (0, 8, 10, 12 and 14%) of an expansive admixture and 1.5% polyethylene (PE) fibers volume fraction. A number of experimental tests were conducted to investigate shrinkage, compressive strength, flexural strength, and direct tension behavior. Test results show that as expected, the different replacement levels of an expansive admixture have an important effect on the evolution of the free shrinkage of SHCC with a rich mixture. At the volume fraction of 1.5%, PE fibers in normal SHCC reduce free shrinkage deformation by about 30% in comparison to plain mortar. The replacement of an expansive admixture in SHCC material has led the SHCC to a better initial cracking behavior. Enhanced cracking tendency improved mechanical properties of SHCC materials with rich mixtures. Note that an increase in the replacement of expansive admixture from 10% to 14% does not lead to a significant improvement for mechanical properties; this implies that the replacement of 10% expansive admixture is sufficient.