Destructive and nondestructive tests formulation for concrete containing polyolefin fibers

Abstract

Polyolefin fiber is a new type of fiber that was used in concrete to improve some of the poor properties of concrete including; tensile strength, ductility, and fracture energy. In this research, the contribution of Polyolefin fiber in improving the properties of hardened concrete was examined by adding polyolefin fibers to mix with different fiber content. The polypropylene fibers were added as a ratio of 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, and 2% of concrete volume. Destructive and non-destructive tests were carried out: slump, compression, splitting, and bending, Schmidt Hammer, and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests. The results showed that, as the polyolefin fiber content increases, the workability of concrete reduces dramatically. The experimental findings demonstrate that the concrete tensile strength and ductility were improved by a small improvement in overall compressive strength. The results show that the compressive strength increased gradually with the increase in fiber content of up to 1.5%, and then, the compressive strength starts to decrease. However, the tensile strength increases continuously with the fiber content increasing. A good relationship was obtained between the destructive and nondestructive tests.