Abstract
Slurry infiltrated fibrous concrete (SIFCON) is a relatively new material and could be considered as a type of high volume fiber reinforced concrete in which fibers are preplaced in the mold and infiltrated with cement based slurry or flowing mortar. SIFCON possess high strength, large ductility and far excellent potential for structural applications when abnormal or explosive load is encountered during services life. Other successful applications include pavement overlays, repair of prestressed beams and structural reinforced concrete element. The main aim of this investigation is to determine the effect of fiber type (hooked end steel fiber, micro steel fiber and hybrid fiber) with different volume fraction and aspect ratio (l/d), also studying the effect of SIFCON mortar type containing mineral admixtures [silica fume (SF) and/or fly ash (FA)] as a partial replacement by weight of cement, on the freezing- thawing resistance of SIFCON specimens. The lengths of hooked fiber and micro fiber were 35 and 15mm, respectively, and three steel fiber contents (6, 8.5, and 11) % were used in this investigation. Prismatic SIFCON specimens of 100 x 100 x 400 mm were exposed to 100 freezing and thawing cycles in a water bath. After that, the specimens were weighted and tested for flexural strength and the results were compared with that of unexposed companion specimens to determine the loss in unit weight and loss in flexural strength after exposure to freeze-thaw cycles. The test results show that the freezing and thawing resistance of SIFCON specimens increases with the increase in volume fraction of steel fiber and when using mineral admixture (SF and FA) as a partial replacement by weight of cement. Also the specimens reinforced with micro steel fiber or hybrid fiber have lower loss in unit weight and loss in flexural strength compared with that reinforced with hooked fiber.
Published Version
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