Freeze-thaw resistance and water permeability properties of roller compacted concrete produced with macro synthetic fibre

Abstract

The increase in popularity of using Macro-Synthetic (MS) fibre reinforced Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) as a wearing course material in road construction brought about a need to fully identify how this fibre utilisation affects the permeability and the resistance of RCC in the frequently cold exposure applications. This paper tackles the important aspect of this practical problem by investigating the effect of MS fibre utilisation on the freeze–thaw resistance and the water permeability properties of RCC. Initially, the optimum water content values for the RCC mixtures prepared with 0%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% fibre ratios by volume were identified using the soil compaction method. The concrete samples were then produced accordingly, water cured for 28 days and exposed to the freeze–thaw cycles by complying with the international standards. The weight change, ultrasonic pulse velocity, dynamic modulus of elasticity, skid resistance, flexural and compressive strength tests were undertaken to quantify the freeze–thaw resistance of RCC produced with various amount of MS fibre. Additionally, the water absorption, depth of water penetration under pressure and sorptivity tests were conducted to elucidate the effect of fibre amount on the permeability properties of RCC. The obtained results reveal that MS fibre utilisation in RCC production is clearly in favour of the freeze–thaw resistance. The water absorption capacity and the depth of water penetration under pressure values are indicated an increase in terms of the utilised MS fibre amount along with the reduction in the sorptivity results.