The influence of polypropylene fibers has been studied in different proportioning and fiber length to improve the performance characteristics of the lightweight cement composites. Fibers used in two different lengths (6mm and 12mm) and fiber proportions (0.15% and 0.35%) by cement weight in the mixture design. Hardened concrete properties such as: 7-and 28-day compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, water absorption, and shrinkage were evaluated. Fiber addition was seen to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of lightweight concrete. Compared to unreinforced LWC, polypropylene (PP) reinforced LWC with fiber proportioning 0.35% and 12 mm fiber length, caused 30.1% increase in the flexural strength and 27% increase in the splitting tensile strength. Increased fiber availability in the LWC matrix, in addition to the ability of longer PP fibers to bridge on the micro cracks, are suggested as the reasons for the enhancement in mechanical properties.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.