Enhancing the mechanical properties of lightweight concrete using mono and hybrid fibers

Abstract

This investigation aims to study some properties of lightweight aggregate concrete reinforced by mono or hybrid fibers of different sizes and types. In this research, the considered lightweight aggregate was Light Expanded Clay Aggregate while the adopted fibers included hooked, straight, polypropylene, and glass. Eleven lightweight concrete mixes were considered, These mixes comprised of; one plain concrete mix (without fibers), two reinforced concrete mixtures of mono fiber (hooked or straight fibers), six reinforced concrete mixtures of double hybrid fibers, and two reinforced concrete mixtures of triple hybrid fibers. Hardened concrete properties were investigated in this study. Generally, mono and hybrid fiber specimens showed a significant increase in the splitting tensile strength compared to the plain specimen while they had a slight improvement in compressive strength and modulus of elasticity. The outcomes of the experimental results illustrated that hybrid fibers had the most significant advanced effect on concrete hardened properties. Moreover; the optimization procedure revealed that the best performance in terms of maximum mechanical properties achieved in the mixture reinforced by hybrid fibers[straight + hooked + glass]. The maximum achieved advantage reached (14.18%), (91.97%), and (36.70%) for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity respectively.