The influence of metakaolin, silica fume, glass fiber, and polypropylene fiber on the strength characteristics of high performance concrete

Abstract

Products that are pozzolanic Metakaolin (MK) & Silica fume (SF), both smaller than cement, are being used in the making of concrete and have been shown to improve the characteristics of the concrete. This study uses the combination of MK and SF as a additional cementitious substance. It was planned to explore the mechanical characteristics of Binary Fiber and Admixture based High-Performance Concrete (BFAHPC), which uses glass fibres (GF) and polypropylene fibres (PPF) as an inclusion. The ratios of water to binder (W/B) from 0.275 to 0.350, were used, with an aggregate to binder content (A/B) of 1.75. MK and SF were substituted in proportions ranging from 0 % to 15 %. GF was introduced in volume proportions ranging from 0 % to 1 %, and PPF was used at 0.25 percent only. The overall influence of MK with SF at 5 % each as cement replacements, with fibre dosages of GF = 1 % and PPF = 0.25 % for W/B of 0.275, was indicated to be the perfect pairing for obtaining maximal strength for BFAHPC proposed. The results obtained from this work also yielded a correlation in terms of mathematical equations relating compressive strength to split tensile strength, and flexural strengths of metakaolin and silica fume-based BFAHPC.