Abstract

Keywords

۱٫ Introduction

۲٫ Materials and methodology

۳٫ Results and discussion

۳٫۱٫ Fresh concrete properties

۳٫۲٫ Strength properties

۳٫۳٫ Durability properties

۴٫ Conclusion

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Declaration of Competing Interest

Acknowledgement

References

Abstract

High strength concrete is finding application in many structures in the past few years. In order to achieve concrete possessing high strength, various materials have been added to it that has superior durable properties. In order to increase the flexural strength in concrete, fibres are added to make it high strength. The use of several fibres in the making of such concrete and their advantages has been discussed in this work. The fibre obtained from basalt rocks known as basalt fibre is used in concrete in recent years and have attracted a lot of attention. In this paper, glass powder is used as a replacement for fine aggregate while basalt fibre is added to improve the mechanical properties of concrete. In order to attain the desired strength in concrete, the quantity of glass powder replacing the fine aggregate as well as the dosage of basalt fibres to be added are investigated. Test conducted in laboratory show that a 10% replacement of glass powder increased the strength and possessed good durability properties compared to conventional concrete. Compressive strength of 84.5 MPa, flexural strength of 11 MPa and split tensile strength of 3.2 MPa was achieved. The durability properties in terms of sorptivity and chloride penetrability were also found to be good compared to the conventional mix.

۱٫ Introduction

The challenge in Construction Industry is getting superior material properties to be used in construction, based on the relevant application. Tall buildings and bridges have been designed using concrete which offers an advantage in reducing the size of structural members. This can be achieved by proportioning high strength concrete. The advantage of this concrete is to provide higher strength and durability properties with reduced sectional area thereby resulting in reduction of self-weight of the structure. [1]. High strength concrete involves use of fibres in the matrix which gives various advantages like controlling the propagation of cracks and increasing the flexural capacity of the structural members [2]. Concrete with strength greater than 60 MPa have been extensively used in airport pavements, bridges and in special structures like cooling towers. Many types of fibres like glass fibre, basalt fibre, kevlar fibre, carbon fibre, steel fibre and polypropylene fibres in concrete have been studied by various researchers. [3]. Extensive research works have been carried out using basalt fibres in combination with polymer composites and the strength parameters have been reported [4,5]. The strength characteristics of chopped basalt fibres have been explained well with the microstructure studies [6]. Basalt fibre composite has been advantageously used in marine constructions due to their superior impact resistance and durability properties [7,8].

Apart from material characterisation the bonding characteristics of the fibre in the matrix has been studied by researchers [9]. With all these studies and review of overall performance of concrete containing basalt fibres, it has been evident that this material can be used in high strength concrete [10]. There are many waste and recycled materials that have been investigated to be used as replacement to sand and they have also been performing well. Now that the demand for fine aggregate is increasing there is a need to find alternate sources of fine aggregate. Glass is a waste material which is abundantly discarded after use though a considerable quantity is recycled. Disposing of glass may cause environmental hazards as it does not decompose. Hence in the recent years use of glass powder in concrete is found to be advantageous in making it a sustainable construction material [11,12].