Mechanical and permeability properties of basalt fibre Reinforced concrete

Abstract

Concrete, the most consumed construction material, is capable to resist under compressive force but not in tension. To improve this inherent defect in concrete, several methods have been adopted. One of these methods is the addition of fibres in concrete. The addition of Basalt Fibres (BF) improves the tensile strength of concrete and considerably reduces the development and propagation of cracks. By hindering the propagation of cracks, the permeability of the concrete is also reduced considerably. BF, a fibre produced from naturally occurring basalt rock, has improved chemical and thermal stability and higher elastic modulus, with improved compressive, tensile and flexural strength. This study primarily emphases on the effect of the addition of BF in concrete. First, the optimum dosage of BF is found through multiple strength test on hardened concrete. From the BF dosages of 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5% and 0.6% of volume of concrete, 0.3% is obtained as optimum. The permeability properties, water and chloride ion penetrability of Basalt Fibre Reinforced Concrete (BFRC) are also tested and concluded that optimum addition reduces the permeability. The behaviour of BFRC beams on the flexural loading is studied experimentally and determined that BFRC has significant increase in the cracking load, ultimate load carrying capacity and reduced propagation of cracks.