Influence of Arch-type steel fibres and

Polypropylene fibres on the properties of

Self-compacting Concrete
Synopsis report submitted in partial requirement of B.E. Civil
Engineering

Submitted to: - Submitted by: -

14BCE1084, Azad Singh
Er. Ivjot Singh
14BCE1070, Arnav Sharma
14BCE1154, Jeenath Bharti
14BCE1093. Bhupinder Singh
14BCE1088, Balwinder Singh

Department of Civil Engineering

Chandigarh University Gharuan, Mohali

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 INDEX

Chapter Page
1. Acknowledgement 3

2. Introduction 4

3. Literature Review 5

4. Objective 12

6. Methodology 13

7. References 14

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors are highly grateful to Dr Gurdeep Singh, Executive Director and Dr S. S.
Sehgal, Director Engineering, Chandigarh University Mohali, Gharuan, for providing this
opportunity to carry out the Project Influence of Arch type Steel fibres and polypropylene
fibres on the properties of Self Compacting Concrete.

The constant guidance and encouragement received from Professor Sandeep Salhotra,
Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Er. Shalika Mehta, the Academic coordinator,
has been great helping carrying out the project work and is acknowledged by reverential thanks.
The authors would like to express a deep sense of gratitude and thanks profusely Mr Ivjot
Singh, without the wise counsel and able guidance, it is impossible to complete the project
report in this manner.

Name
14BCE1084, Azad Singh +91-9803868988 azad96dhaliwal@gmail.com
14BCE1070, Arnav Sharma
14BCE1154, Jeenath Bharti
14BCE1093. Bhupinder Singh
14BCE1088, Balwinder Singh

I have gone through the content of the synopsis submitted by above students and found it in
order and fit to carry on the proposed studies.

Signature:

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 INTRODUCTION
Self-compacting concrete represents an innovation in the building industry due to its
workability. SCC is able to flow under its own weight, filling perfectly the formwork even in
a presence of congested reinforcement without vibration. The components of SCC are similar
as conventionally vibrated concrete, but the mixture proportions for SCC differ essentially. The
higher powder content, limited volume and nominal maximum size of coarse aggregate, a
larger quantity of superplasticizers represent design requirements in achieving the self-
compatibility. The changes of the concrete composition lead to different properties in the
hardened state. The compressive strength of concrete represents one of the most important
features used in the design rules of the concrete structures. The results of the test showed that
at the same cement content and water/cement ratio, SCC haves a higher compressive strength
than the conventionally vibrated concrete, this is due packing effect of filler that reduces the
porosity and leads to a denser microstructure, more uniform stress distribution during
compression.

Mineral admixtures are used as an extra fine material, the most used are the limestone
filler that represents a chemically inert by-product of limestone crushers. The addition of
limestone powder improves the particle packing by filling the small pores between cement
grains and augment the water retention of fresh mixes. The compressive strength is calculated
by the failure load divided with the cross sectional area resisting the load and reported mega
Pascal (MPa). Concrete hardens and acquires strength as it hydrates. This process occurs
rapidly at first and slows down as time goes by, it continues over a long period of time. In this
study is investigated the compressive strength at 28 days, age considering for design purposes,
when a substantial percentage of the hydration has taken place. It was determined the cubes
and cylinder strength of SCC and of conventional vibrated concrete at the same w/c ratio and
cement content.

But nowadays we are also using composite materials to develop a different type of
concrete which can be used for different applications. In this project, we will discuss different
fibres, mainly Steel fibres and Polypropylene fibres. By using different fibres, we will conduct
different tests on compressive strength, flexural rigidity, workability and other physical
properties of SSC. We will add different percentages of steel and polypropylene fibres to
enhance tensile strength by steel fibres and reduction of cracks by Polypropylene fibres.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

Won Jong-Pil, et al, 23 July 2015, Bonding behaviour of arch-type steel fibres in a
cementitious composite conveys that, The bond properties of arch-type steel fibres
were evaluated in a cementitious composite as a function of the arch characteristics of
curvature radius (20, 25, 30 and 35 mm) and bend length (0, 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 mm). Fibre
pull-out was observed during the pull-out test for all specimens regardless of the
curvature radius for bend lengths of 0 and 1.5 mm, but pull-out or fracture of fibre was
observed at bend lengths of 2.5 and 3.5 mm. The maximum bond strength of all arch-
type steel fibres, except that with a bend length of 0 mm, was at least 1.5-times higher
than for hooked-end-type steel fibres. The interfacial toughnesss of all specimens
except those made with arch-type fibres having a bend length of 0 mm did not exhibit
fracture of the fibres; improved bond properties were demonstrated by toughnesss that
were over double that with hooked-end type steel fibres. The excellent pull-out
resistance of the arch-type steel fibres was maintained until the completion of pull-out
after de-bonding, even after the peak load. This behaviour was attributed to frictional
sliding and mechanical anchorage forces
Won Jong-Pil, et al, 23 August 2015, Flexural Behaviour of Arch-type Steel Fibre
Reinforced Cementitious Composites, conveys that, we investigated the flexural
performance of arch-type steel fibre reinforced cementitious composites. We used arch-
type steel fibres with a bend length of 1.5 mm and a radius of curvature of either 25
mm or 35 mm. With the 1100-MPa steel fibre reinforced cementitious composites, the
composite with a radius of curvature of 35 mm exhibited higher flexural performance
compared with the composite formed using -MPa arch-type steel fibres with a radius of
curvature of 35 mm. The arch-type steel fibre reinforced cementitious composites
exhibited higher flexural strength and higher residual flexural tensile strength than those
formed using the hooked-end-type steel fibre reinforcements at all volume fractions.
The hooked-end-type fibres. The flexural tests of the 1300-MPa steel fibre reinforced
cementitious composites formed using arch-type steel fibres with both radii of curvature
revealed higher flexural performance compared with the composites formed using
hooked-end type fibres. The flexural performance was characterized depending on the
volume fraction of fibres.

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 Lee Su-Jin, et al, 27 May 2016, Optimal dimension of arch-type steel fibre-
reinforced cementitious composite for shotcrete conveys that, In this study, the
optimal dimension of arch-type steel fibre for cementitious shotcrete was derived based
on the bond properties of a cement matrix, as a function of the length of the steel wire,
the radius of curvature of the arch, and bend length at the fibre end. Our results indicated
that a smaller radius of curvature of the arch-type steel fibre was able to withstand a
higher maximum load, without fibre fracture or pull-out. Pull-out was evident for a
larger radius of curvature of the fibre; however, fibre fracture was not observed.
Additionally, the arch-type steel fibre end with a longer bend length showed excellent
bond properties and pull-out behaviour as the radius of curvature increased, due to
stable anchoring within the cementitious composite. Statistical analysis of the
experimental results indicated that the steel wire length had no effect on the bond
properties of the fibre; also, a bend length >2.0 mm was identified as optimal for a
radius of curvature of 20 mm. Our optimized fibre configuration was compared with a
35-mm hooked-end-type steel fibre, which is commonly used as reinforcing the
material in shotcrete.
Won Jong-Pil, et al, 5 September 2015, Predicting pull-out behaviour based on the
bond mechanism of arch-type steel fibre in cementitious composite conveys that,
In this study, we investigated the bond mechanism associated with the pull-out
behaviour of arch-type steel fibre in the cementitious composite. Prediction model
development and bond mechanism analysis were conducted in parallel on hooked-end-
type steel fibre having the same tensile strength. Pull-out tests were performed using
the single fibre-single-sided method. The bond mechanism analysis of arch-type steel
fibre, from the pull-out test results using a transparent epoxy matrix, confirmed that
pull-out resistance was maintained, without a drastic decrease in the pull-out load under
plastic bending or frictional forces; these forces acted simultaneously throughout all
pull-out stages until completion. Based on our results, the pull-out behaviour of arch-
type steel fibre was classified into three pull-out stages: debonding and pull-out
initiation, achievement of the maximum pull-out load while passing through the bend
section, and the final pull-out stage as the fibre passed through the arch. The proposed
model for the pullout behaviour of arch-type steel fibre was verified by a pull-out test
using a cement matrix. The maximum pull-out resistance strength and interfacial

6
 toughness differed by 2.0% and 17.0%, respectively, from values given by the
prediction model, and coincided with three-stage pull-out behaviour.
Madandoust Rahmat, et al, 3 June 2015, Assessment of factors influencing
mechanical properties of steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete conveys
that in the last decade, the steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC)
has been used in several partially and fully structural applications. This study
investigates how the inclusion of steel fibres affects the properties of SFRSCC. For this
purpose, an extensive experimental program including different cement contents of
400, 450 and 500 kg/m3, two maximum aggregate sizes of 10 and 20 mm along with
steel fibre volume fractions of 0%, 0.38%, 0.64% and 1% was conducted. The
water/cement ratio was kept constant at 0.45 for all the mixes studied. Mechanical
properties were tested for compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strengths and
modulus of elasticity. The results showed that mixture characteristics and volume
fraction of steel fibres can significantly affect these major properties. Furthermore, this
study represents extensive comparisons using a database that have been gathered from
a wide variety of international sources reported by many researchers and data obtained
experimentally, which came up with about some discrepancies in the results.
Simes T., 11 April 2017, Influence of concrete strength and steel fibre geometry
on the fibre or matrix interface conveys that, the main objective of the research
described in this paper was to evaluate how the concrete compressive strength and the
geometry of the steel fibres influence the behaviour of the fibre/matrix interface. With
this aim, three different concrete matrices were designed with 20, 60 and 100 MPa, and
two types of steel fibres were adopted (Dramix 3D and Dramix 5D). Specific pull-
out specimens were produced and three sets of axial tensile tests were defined with
different fibres (3D fibres, and 3D and 5D fibres with trimmed ends). A numerical
model was calibrated and used to expand the scope of results obtained from the
experimental tests. It can be concluded that the concrete compressive strength strongly
influences the fibre/matrix strength. In the set with untrimmed 3D fibres, higher
strengths are reached due to the hook shaped endings, for all concrete strengths, varying
between 64% and 72% of the total load. For fibres with straight endings, increasing
both diameter and length increases lead to higher adhesion and friction strengths.
Doo-Yeol Yoo, 25 April 2017, Effects of fibre shape, aspect ratio, and volume
fraction on flexural behaviour of ultra high-performance fibre reinforced cement

7
 composites, conveys that this study investigated the feasibility of reducing fibre
content in ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced cement composites (UHP-FRCC).
For this, three different types of steel fibres were considered, and three different aspect
ratios were applied for the case of straight fibres. To quantitatively evaluate the cost
effectiveness of reducing the fibre content of UHP-FRCC, a cost analysis was also
performed. Test results indicated that at low fibre volume fractions (Vf 1.0%), the
twisted fibres provided the highest flexural strength, but they exhibited similar strength
and poorer toughness than the straight fibres at a Vf equal to or higher than 1.5%.
Smaller flexural strength and toughness were observed in the specimens with hooked
fibres than those with straight ones at a Vf equal to or higher than 1.0%. In the case of
straight fibres, the one with the highest aspect ratio was more effective in improving
the flexural performance than those with lower aspect ratios. The medium-length
straight fibres were most efficient at improving the flexural performance of UHP-FRCC
at a Vf equal to or higher than 1.5%. The total production costs of commercially
available UHP-FRCC are reduced by as much as 3235% by replacing short straight
fibres with medium-length or long straight fibres.
Arabi N.S. Al Qadi, 20 December 2012, Effect of fibre content and specimen shape
on residual strength of polypropylene fibre self-compacting concrete exposed to
elevated temperatures, conveys that this experimental study investigates the effect of
specimen shape on residual mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) fibre self-
compacting concrete (SCC) exposed to elevated temperatures from 200 to 600 C.
Various shaping regimes were used including cylindrical and cubical shapes for a series
of durations of 2 and 4 h, and air cooling to the room temperature before testing. The
temperature determination results prove that the shaping regimes caused an action of
thermal shock to SCC under elevated temperatures, characterized by a high
temperature at the fixed time of exposure. The experimental results indicate that
compared cylindrical specimen with cubical one, thermal shock induced by cylindrical
shape air cooling caused more severe damage to concrete in terms of greater losses in
compressive strength than those with cubical shapes. The fact that the impact of shapes
on mechanical properties indicates that shaping could cause thermal shock to
specimens, which is in good agreement with the results of the temperature
determination. PP fibre can enhance residual strength and fracture energy of concrete

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 subjected to thermal shock induced by air cooling from high temperatures up to 600 C
to room temperature.
Silva Flvio de Andrade, 18 May 2011, Effect of fibre shape and morphology on interfacial
bond and cracking behaviours of sisal fibre cement based composites conveys that a
experimental investigation was performed to understand the pull-out behaviour of sisal
fibres from a cement matrix. The effect of curing age and fibre embedment length on
the fibrematrix interface was studied. Sisal fibre presents irregular cross-section with
different shapes that may be beneficial for the bond strength. A scanning electron
microscope coupled with image analysis was used to measure the cross-section area of
individual tested fibres and to determine and classify their morphology. The results
were correlated to the fibre morphology. Direct tension tests were performed on
composites reinforced by 10% in volume of continuous aligned sisal fibre. A finite
difference model developed earlier by authors was used to determine the bond strength
versus slip constitutive relation from experimental data and to predict the composite
tensile behaviour and crack spacing. It was found that the sisal fibre morphology plays
an important role in the bond strength. Average adhesion bond strength as high as 0.92
MPa were reported for the fibre shape that promoted the best interfacial performance.
R. Deeb, et al, 12 November 2011, Development of self-compacting high and ultra-
high performance concretes with and without steel fibres, conveys that this paper
describes the steps taken to develop self-compacting high and ultra high performance
concretes with and without steel fibres. For the self-compacting concrete mixes without
steel fibres, the fulfilment of flow and cohesiveness criteria are sufficient for the mix
design. However, for the design of self-compacting concrete mixes with steel fibres, it
is found, as expected, that they must additionally meet the passing ability criterion. The
plastic viscosity of the mixes with and without steel fibres has been estimated from the
known plastic viscosity of the cement paste using simple micromechanical relations.
Jen Gabriel, 9 December 2015, Self-consolidating hybrid fibre reinforced concrete:
Development, properties and composite behaviour, conveys that the workability of
an existing Hybrid Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (HFRC) composite is improved through
the incorporation of concepts from the field of Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC). The
resulting composite, achieved through a described parametric study, allows for easier
placement within areas of high reinforcement congestion while maintaining the desired
mechanical performance benefits inherent to high-performance hybrid fibre-reinforced

9
 concrete composites. Retention of the strengthening and ductility enhancement,
characteristic of the original HFRC, is gauged by the material response to direct tension
and four point bending tests. The designated goal of the SC-HFRC mix is to provide an
optimal structural material for construction in which concrete might be expected to face
tension, compression and bending as part of a common service load and must be
designed to withstand high levels of deformation under maximum credible earthquake
or similar design scenarios. The ductility response of Self Consolidating Hybrid Fibre
Reinforced Concrete (SC-HFRC) to severe loading is then investigated through a
comparison with conventional concrete by conducting reinforced compression and
tensile tests. In both scenarios, the presence of hybrid fibre reinforcement is shown to
provide an improvement to the phenomena of internal confinement and tension
stiffening, for compression and tension loading respectively, which allows for a
significantly improved post cracking response.
Sahmaran Mustafa, 14 December 2004, Workability of hybrid fibre reinforced self-
compacting concrete, conveys that compared to fibre reinforced concrete (FRC), self-
compacting concrete (SCC) is a relatively new type of concrete with high flowability
and good cohesiveness. It offers very attractive economic and technical benefits, which
can be further extended when combined with FRC. In this article, two different types
of steel fibres were used, in combination, and the effects of fibre inclusion on the
workability of hybrid fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete (HFR-SCC) is studied.
The effects of fibres are quantified based on the fibre volume, length, and aspect ratios
of the fibres. It was concluded that in addition to the above-mentioned quantifiable three
properties, other properties of fibres such as shape and surface roughness are also found
to be important but they cannot be quantified at this stage.
Farhad Aslani, Shami Nejadi; 25 April 2013, Self-compacting concrete
incorporating steel and polypropylene fibres: Compressive and tensile strengths,
moduli of elasticity and rupture, compressive stressstrain curve, and energy
dissipated under compression conveys that Fibre-reinforced self-compacting
concrete (FRSCC) is a high-performance building material that combines positive
aspects of fresh properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) with improved
characteristics of hardened concrete as a result of fibre addition. Considering these
properties, the application ranges of both FRSCC and SCC can be covered. A test
program is carried out to develop information about the mechanical properties of

10
 FRSCC. For this purpose, four SCC mixes plain SCC, steel, polypropylene, and
hybrid FRSCC are considered in the test program. The properties include compressive
and splitting tensile strengths, moduli of elasticity and rupture, compressive stress
strain curve, and energy dissipated under compression. These properties are tested at 3,
7, 14, 28, 56, and 91 days. Relationships are established to predict the compressive and
splitting tensile strengths, moduli of elasticity and rupture, compressive stressstrain
curve, and energy dissipated under compression. The models provide predictions
matching the measurements.
Aydin Abdulkadir Cuneyt; 4 January 2007, Self compactability of high volume
hybrid fibre reinforced concrete, conveys that Self-compacting concrete (SCC)
offers several economical and technical benefits; the use of fibres extends its
possibilities. SCC is a relatively new type of concrete with high flowability and
cohesiveness when compared to conventional concrete. In this article carbon and steel,
fibres were used in combination, and the effects of fibre inclusion on the compactability
of hybrid fibre reinforced concrete are studied. The effects of fibres are quantified based
on the fibre volume and type of the fibres. It was concluded that in addition to the
above-mentioned quantifiable properties, other properties of fibres such as strain
sensing, shape, and surface roughness are also found to be important but they cannot
be quantified at this stage.

11
 OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this research is given below:

To study the fresh properties of SCC using Slump test and L-Box test.
To study the Compressive strength and Flexural strength of SCC by strength tests.
To compare the results with the available HFR-SCC data.

12
 METHODOLOGY

The proportions that we will use of the fibres in the SCC are given below:

Arch Steel Fibres (%age) Polypropylene Fibres (%age)

0 0
0.5 0.3
1 0.6
1.5 0.9

To determine the properties of SCC we will use different tests to obtain the optimum
results. We will make 12 cubes of size 100100500 and 12 beams to obtain
compressive and flexural properties.
Firstly we will perform slump test and L-box test to find the workability and flow
properties.
After these tests, we will use this concrete for moulds of cubes and beams. We will
use these cubes to perform compressive strength test and beams to perform the
flexural strength of the concrete after 28 days of the mixing and moulding.
After testing, we will use this data to find out the optimum percentage of fibres for the
best performance.

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 REFERENCES

1. Bonding behaviour of arch-type steel fibres in a cementitious composite by Jong-Pil

Won, Jae-Ho Lee, Su-Jin Lee; Department of Civil & Environmental System
Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea.
2. Flexural Behaviour of Arch-type Steel Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Composites by
Jong-Pil Won, Jae-Ho Lee, Su-Jin Lee; Department of Civil & Environmental System
Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea.
3. Optimal dimension of arch-type steel fibre-reinforced cementitious
composite for shotcrete by Su-Jin Lee, A-Hyeon Eom, Su-Ji Ryu, Jong-Pil Won;
Department of Civil & Environmental System Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul
143-701, Republic of Korea.
4. Predicting pull-out behaviour based on the bond mechanism of arch-type steel fibre in
the cementitious composite by Jong-Pil Won , Jae-Ho Lee, Su-Jin Lee; Department of
Civil & Environmental System Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701,
Republic of Korea.
5. Assessment of factors influencing mechanical properties of steel fibre reinforced self-
compacting concrete by Rahmat Madandoust, Malek Mohammad Ranjbar, Reza
Ghavidel, S.Fatemeh Shahabi; Department of Civil Engineering, University of
Guilan, P.O. Box 3756, Rasht, Iran.
6. Influence of concrete strength and steel fibre geometry on the fibre or matrix interface
by T. Simes, C. Octvio, J. Valena, H. Costa, D. Dias-da-Costa, and E. Jlio.
7. Effects of fibre shape, aspect ratio, and volume fraction on flexural behaviour of ultra
high-performance fibre reinforced cement composites by Doo-Yeol Yoo, Soonho Kim,
Gi-Joon Park, Jung-Jun Park, Sung-Wook Kim; Hanyang University, 222
Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
8. Effect of fibre content and specimen shape on residual strength of polypropylene fibre
self-compacting concrete exposed to elevated temperatures by Arabi N.S. Al Qadi,
Sleiman M. Al-Zaidyeen; Department of Civil Engineering, Al-Hussien Bin Talal
University, Box 20, Maan, Jordan.

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