The Efficiency of the Ordinary Polypropylene Fiber in Producing One-part Alkali-Activated Slag Composites with Strain-Hardening Behavior

• Published in: Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology Vol. 21; no. 9; pp. 695 - 718
• Main Authors: Bahrami, Allahverdi, Behfarnia, Kiachehr, Soltanabadi, Reza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Japan Concrete Institute 08.09.2023; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Digital imaging; Fiber composites; Fiber reinforced polymers; Heat treatment; Mechanical properties; Moment-curvature diagrams; Polypropylene; Slag; Strain hardening; Tensile strain
• ISSN: 1346-8014; 1347-3913
• DOI: 10.3151/jact.21.695

This paper evaluates the efficiency of polypropylene fibers in improving the tensile and flexural characteristics of fiber-reinforced alkali-activated slag composites with strain-hardening behavior. Several different composites were produced and the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated during compressive and flexural tests. Furthermore, the mid-span curvature of the beams was measured by applying the digital image correlation technique to the flexural tests, and the curvature-deflection diagrams of the composites were analyzed and demarcated by structural mechanics. Finally, an analytical model considering strain-hardening behavior was proposed by fitting the calculated moment-curvature diagrams to the experimental results to recognize the tensile behavior of composites more precisely than the existing indirect methods. The results showed that an ultra-high tensile strain capacity was obtained for composites cured under laboratory conditions. Also, it was found that the fiber interfacial bond with the matrix was improved by using slag with lower Al2O3 content. Moreover, weakening the interfacial transition zone between the fine aggregate and the paste, the heat-treatment curing reduced the fracture energy of the composites which is favored to make strain-hardening cementitious composites.