Abstract
Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is one of the most promising construction materials because it exhibits high performance, such as through high strength, high durability, and proper rheological properties. However, it has low tensile ductility compared with other normal strength grade high ductile fiber-reinforced cementitious composites. This paper presents an experimental study on the tensile behavior, including tensile ductility and crack patterns, of UHPC reinforced by hybrid steel and polyethylene fibers and incorporating plastic beads which have a very weak bond with a cementitious matrix. These beads behave as an artificial flaw under tensile loading. A series of experiments including density, compressive strength, and uniaxial tension tests were performed. Test results showed that the tensile behavior including tensile strain capacity and cracking pattern of UHPC investigated in this study can be controlled by fiber hybridization and artificial flaws.
Highlights
Recent industrial demands for new and excellent construction materials promote the development of various kinds of advanced cementitious materials
There is no sign of presence of any excessive amounts of entrapped air from the hardened density test results which is required for a proper ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC)
It can be concluded that negative effect of PE fiber and plastic bead addition on compressive strength is less that 10 % for all tested mixtures
Summary
Recent industrial demands for new and excellent construction materials promote the development of various kinds of advanced cementitious materials. UHPC is sometimes compared with high ductile fiberreinforced cementitious composites at normal strength grade. According to previous research on it (Rokugo et al 2007; Stang and Li 2004), UHPC exhibits less ductile behavior compared to high ductile fiber-reinforced normal strength grade cementitious composites when the same amount of fiber is incorporated. Typical UHPC contains 2 vol% of steel fibers, whereas high ductile fiber-reinforced normal strength grade cementitious composites presenting excellent tensile strain capacity of more than 2 % includes PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) or PE (polyethylene) fibers in general (Choi et al 2016a, b; Lee et al 2012; Li 2003, 2012). Further approaches to improve the properties of UHPC still need to be explored
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