Experimental study on anti-freezing and thawing performance of basalt fiber reinforced fly ash concrete under corrosive conditions

Abstract

Basalt fiber reinforced fly ash concrete (BFRFAC) is a new inorganic non-metal composite building material with superior mechanical performance, which can be extensively applied in the fields of bridge floors, pavements and other construction engineering projects. In the present paper, the freezing and thawing resistance performance of BFRFAC under corrosion conditions was studied in detail with the comparison to the Normal Concrete (NC). Experimental studies on the mass loss rate (MLR) in a non-corrosive environment, and the MLR as well as the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity (RDME) in chlorine corrosion, sulfate corrosion and the complex combined corrosion of chloride and sulfate solution were conducted through the quick freezing method. Further, the meso-structure of the fracture section in the composite material was scanned with the help of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at amplified ×500, ×1,000 and ×1,500. The gripping effect between basalt fibers and substrate under the case of pull-out failure and fracture failure was quantitatively analyzed, which convincingly revealed the crack resistance, reinforcement and strengthening mechanisms of basalt fibers on concrete substrate. The research results indicated that RDME decreased and its decent rate became slower in turn when the composite material was exposed to freeze-thaw cycles in all the above four considered cases. Among them, in the case of the complex solution corrosion, the number of freeze-thaw cycles of BFRFAC was larger than 400. Compared to the NC, the BFRFAC cyclic lifespan could be extended effectively. In addition, the full play of fly ash activity and great filling effect enhanced the gripping effect between basalt fibers and concrete substrate. Therefore, it could effectively improve the freezing and thawing resistance damage capacity of BFRFAC.

The effect of basalt fiber addition on cement concrete: A review focused on basalt fiber shotcrete

“…4) BF had the strong resistance of acid and alkali corrosion, it not undergo significant changes due to the corrosion of the salt solution in the concrete, so it could continue to play a positive role in supporting the framework and connecting bonds in the corrosive environment. The surrounding concrete was tightly wrapped together by BF, which slowed down the change process of concrete from dense to loose, slowed down the decrease of relative dynamic elastic modulus during the freeze-thaw cycle of concrete, and enhanced the ability of concrete to resist freeze-thaw damage (Jin et al, 2015).…”

Study on Frost Resistance of Steel-PVA Hybrid Fiber Concrete

“…Professor Mehta [1] has pointed out that the freeze-thaw cycle is one of the main reasons for the reduction of concrete durability. In northeast and northwest of China, a large number of concrete structures are damaged due to long-term freeze-thaw cycles of varying degrees, seriously affecting the service life and safety performance of concrete structures, and causing certain economic losses [2,3]. Therefore, improving the frost resistance of concrete material is helpful to improve the durability of concrete structures.…”

The Effectiveness of Basalt Fiber in Lightweight Expanded Clay to Improve the Strength of Concrete Helicoidal Staircase

“…Wang et al in their research studies on BFRC found that basalt fiber could improve the splitting tensile and flexural strength of concrete, but it had a delayed effect on the early compressive strength of concrete [10]. In the area of frost, basalt fiber significantly enhanced freeze thaw resistance and durability of concrete under corrosion conditions [11]. Authors in [12] claimed that basalt fiber was able to improve the impact resistance number and performance of BFRC.…”