A crucial problem in concrete engineering is the corrosion of steel reinforcements. Polymer fibers as alternative reinforcement material can prevent corrosion; however, high adhesion to concrete and good fiber mechanics are necessary for polymers to be considered as an alternative reinforcement. This study tested different thermoplastic polymer materials to evaluate their level of adhesion to concrete. The adhesion properties of different self‐drawn polymer fibers were analyzed by extracting the fibers from concrete using single fiber pull‐out test (SFPT). To determine the adhesion mechanism, different polymer properties were analyzed and correlated to SFPT. Strong evidence was found that the fibers mechanical properties correlate with SFPT. Roughening the fiber surface increases the SFPT results significantly. While highly polar materials can support the adhesion process, a clear correlation could not be found. This study identifies high stiffness and roughness as the crucial properties of polymer fibers used in concrete engineering. If these factors can be engineered into the fiber, polymer fibers can present an alternative to steel in concrete reinforcement.
The major issue with steel reinforced concrete is a corrosion induced shortened building life time. This cover image designed by Michael Sigrüner and colleagues depicts a SEM image of a polypropylene‐fiber abraded by a concrete mixing process, taken by Prof. Dr. Müller of the Rosenheim University. To identify leading mechanisms in the debonding process of polymer fibers embedded in concrete, selected fiber properties were correlated with their adhesion determined by a single fiber pull‐out test. The abrasion taking place in concrete mixing produces undercuts which acts in concert with the fibers mechanical properties to mechanically anchor the fiber within the concrete matrix. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50745
A new approach for the friction and wear characterisation of polymer fibres under dry, mixed, and hydrodynamic sliding conditions is developed. The production process of the tested polymer fibres is described and an introduction in fibre-reinforced concrete is given. Tribotesting is done on an optimised tribometer capable of measuring the friction and wear behaviour of polymer fibres with diameters of a few 100 µm under lubricated conditions. Three extruded polypropylene macro fibres with varying diameters are characterised under tribological conditions found in an industrial concrete mixing process. It is shown that detailed friction and wear data of polymer fibres can be gathered.
Based on the conventional pin-on-disc test method, a tribology test rig was adapted and optimized regarding its ability to characterize polymer fibers. The method is explained and first applications in the field of tribological characterization of single fibers are presented. The test sequence to investigate the polymer fibers (diameters of only a few 100 µm) is generated in such a way that data can be recorded continuously as a function of time in the wear range from a few 10 µm to several 100 µm even during the first few minutes. The test mode starts by applying line load and dynamically progresses to area load by changing the contact area during the measurement. It is shown that single fibers can be characterized with respect to their friction and wear properties in different tribological systems. The dependence of the wear rates of fiber material, surface roughness of the counter bodies and lubrication rates is presented.
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