Thin Slabs Made of High-Performance Steel Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Composite: Mechanical Behaviour, Statistical Analysis and Microstructural Investigation.

Paulo Roberto Ribeiro Soares Junior,Elaine Carballo Siqueira Corrêa,João Trajano Da Silva Neto,Priscila Souza Maciel,Augusto Cesar Da Silva Bezerra,Richard Rodrigues Barreto

doi:10.3390/ma12203297

Paulo Roberto Ribeiro Soares Junior, Elaine Carballo Siqueira Corrêa + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12203297

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Abstract

The present study evaluated the mechanical behaviour of thin high-performance cementitious composite slabs reinforced with short steel fibres. For this purpose, slabs with 1%, 3% and 5% vol. of steel fibres were moulded using the slurry infiltration method. Fibres concentrated in the region subjected to traction during bending stresses. After curing for 28 days, all slabs underwent flexural testing. The slabs with 5% fibre showed significantly higher flexural strength, deflection and toughness compared to those of the control group without reinforcement. The dense fibre distribution, resulting from the production process, led to profiles with multiple random cracks in the region of failure of the slabs as the fibre content increased. The results of the statistical analysis showed the intensity of the correlation between the variables and revealed that the increase of the fibre content significantly influenced the parameters of mechanical behaviour (load, flexural strength, deflection, toughness and toughness factor). Images obtained by optical microscopy aided in understanding the fibre–matrix interface, showing the bonding surface between the constituents of the composite.

Highlights

Advances in the areas of infrastructure and construction are closely related to the development of new technologies, especially in terms of advanced materials, durability and new construction processes [1]
The materials used were Portland cement of high early strength
Steel fibres with anchored ends were used for reinforcement of the cementitious matrix

Summary

Introduction

Advances in the areas of infrastructure and construction are closely related to the development of new technologies, especially in terms of advanced materials, durability and new construction processes [1]. In this context, fibre-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC) emerged at the end of the 19th century in an attempt to create a new cementitious material with two constituents, matrix and reinforcement. The matrix and reinforcement work together, producing a synergistic effect and an efficient composite. The addition of fibres allows a desired level of performance regarding a specific property (or properties) [2].

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