Effect of synthetic fibers on energy absorption capacity of normal and high performance concrete

Abstract

With the increasing aim of incorporating concrete in different applications and infrastructure elements, the use of macro synthetic fiber incorporated concretes has become real popular thanks to their high energy absorption capacity, toughness and impact resistance. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of synthetic fibers on toughness and energy absorption of normal and high performance concretes. For this experimental study, eight concrete groups were designed using synthetic fibers of various amounts (0, 3, 6 and 9 kg/m3) for both normal and high performance concretes. To determine the energy absorption capacity of concrete mixtures performance tests were conducted over square plates specimens with dimensions of 600×600×100 mm3, loaded on the center according to the EN 14488 standard. Besides the energy absorption capacity, other mechanical properties such as Poisson ratio, elasticity modulus and compressive strength were also determined. The test results show that the energy absorption capacity of concrete has been enhanced significantly with increasing the amount of the synthetic fibers.