A Direct Method to Evaluate the Tensile Strength of Polyolefin Fiber Cement-Based Composites

Abstract

This study is aimed to evaluate the tensile strength of cement-based composites which comprise polyolefin fibers and silica fume in the mixes. Material variables include water-cementitious ratio, dosage of silica fume, steel fiber length and dosage. Test results indicate that the compressive strength and direct tensile strength of specimens for fiber length of 25 mm are higher than that of 50 mm. The strength properties increase with increasing fiber content. Incorporation of fiber and silica fume in composites achieves significantly higher increase in compressive strength and direct tensile strength than only use of fiber or silica fume. In addition, the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, direct tensile strength and impact resistance are fairly correlated. It contributes that the fiber content influences crack arresting ability and the silica fume influences interfacial bonding effectively.