Effect of polypropylene fiber on the properties of mortar containing silica fume
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Date
2017-06
Authors
Nur Shuhada Binti Apilin
Journal Title
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Abstract
An investigation has been performed to study the effect of polypropylene fiber on the
properties of mortar containing silica fume. The experiment consists of testing of fresh
mortar via flow table test, as well as hardened mortar such as compressive strength,
flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), porosity, water absorption and gas
permeability test. Plastic shrinkage cracking was also studied in this project using a
specially fabricated mould and observed after 24 hours. Mortar sample with
characteristic strength of 50 N/mm2 was designed and tested at 7, 14 and 28 age days.
Silica fume content used was 10% and polypropylene fiber volume fraction was 0.1%,
0.3% and 0.5%. The control mix was the mortar containing silica fume with no fiber.
Based on the compressive strength result, the addition of fiber did not give positive
impact on the compressive strength. The fiber addition also has no significant influence
on the flexural strength of the mortars. The pore structure in the specimens increased due
to the additional of fiber in the mortar. Permeability and porosity of the mortars increased
due to the increase volume of fiber fraction but decreased with longer curing periods.
The quality of specimens fall in the range of good quality. However, the combination of
10% of silica fume and 0.3% fiber results in optimum mixture design.