Experimental study on the effects of the fiber and nano-Fe2O3 on the properties of the magnesium potassium phosphate cement composites

Abstract

In this study, a new cement-based composite is developed by the combined action of fiber and nano-Fe2O3 (NF) in magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) mortar. The performances of MKPC composite with fiber and NF are evaluated, including the workability, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural toughness and flexural ductility. The microscopic mechanism of MKPC with NF is revealed by using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The main variables of this study include fiber type, curing time, micro-steel fiber (MSF) volume rate and NF substitution rate, and the micro-steel fiber (MSF), cut hook (CH), milling hook (MH) and macro-polypropylene fiber (MPF) are selected as the reinforcing material. In comparison to other fibers, the MSF has the most significant positive effect on the mechanical properties of FNRMC. The compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural toughness and flexural ductility of FNRMC evidently increase with increasing MSF volume rate, while the workability of FNRMC gradually decreases. The compressive and splitting tensile strengths of FNRMC have a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with increasing NF substitution rate from 0% to 4%.