Mechanical characteristics of hardened basalt fiber expanded clay concrete cylinders

Abstract

Concrete is a universal construction material, and it is one of the most widely used materials in civil engineering. Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, therefore exhibiting brittle material characteristics. Lightweight concrete (LWC) has a considerably lower density compared to normal concrete and this is associated with its brittle nature, thus affecting the strength, ductility, and durability of lightweight concrete. To improve these shortcomings and proffer solutions, this paper investigates the effects of dispersed chopped basalt fiber (BF) incorporation in concrete and basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) mesh for concrete confinement. An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the strength and toughness of BF reinforced lightweight expanded clay concrete (LWECC). This experiment was performed with eighteen (18) specimens of LWECC cylindrical column with 1.6% chopped BF mixed with lightweight ECC. To verify this experiment, three-dimensional finite element models (FEM) were created based on the experimental loading and accounted for tested material properties. A close agreement was achieved between the test and finite element analysis results, split tensile strength, compressive strength, and stress-strain relationship of cylindrical basalt fiber concrete was developed. The results proved the best porosity index, compressive strength and modulus of elasticity when expanded clay concrete was reinforced with BF and confined in BFRP mesh.