Experimental Studies of Fiber Concrete Samples Under Cyclic Load

Abstract

AbstractConcrete and reinforced concrete structures have been the basis of construction all over the world for many decades. However, concrete is an elastic–plastic (brittle) material and cracking occurs when its fibers are stretched. The results of the extensive research of Russian and foreign specialists have shown that the problem of early cracking of concrete can be solved by reinforcing its stretched fibers with steel rebar or dispersed reinforcement. At the same time, fiber concrete (dispersed reinforced concrete) opens up the possibility of creating structures with predetermined properties. Analysis of numerous studies has shown that fiber concrete structures are designed for both static and dynamic loads. However, the question of the fiber concrete behavior under cyclic load (which is typical for the majority of railway infrastructure structures) has not been fully studied. In the presented article, the behavior of fiber concrete specimens under cyclic load is investigated. The specimens are reinforced with steel, polypropylene and basalt fiber. The results of tests are plotted as a function of cycles’ number for load, fatigue curves in each series. Experimental tests have shown that the sample reinforced with steel fiber has the highest strength characteristics under cyclic loading. The sample reinforced with polypropylene fiber has the lowest strength characteristics.KeywordsDispersion-reinforced concreteSteel fiberBasalt fiberPolypropylene fiberCyclic loads