Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Polypropylene–Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Desert Sand Concrete

Abstract

In order to improve the performance of desert sand concrete, polypropylene fiber (PF) and glass fiber (GF) were used to prepare desert sand concrete (DSC) with different fiber and volume content, and the basic mechanical properties, such as cube compressive, tensile and flexural strengths, were tested and studied. Based on the mercury injection method (MIP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the evolution of pore structure and interface structure was analyzed. The mechanism of fiber toughening was revealed at the microscopic level. The results show that the slump of DSC decreases with the increase in fiber content. The slump of glass-fiber-reinforced DSC (GFRDSC) is smaller than that of polypropylene-fiber-reinforced DSC (PFRDSC). The strength enhancement of DSC by fibers is in the order of flexural strength > split tensile strength > compressive strength. The flexural strength of hybrid-fiber-reinforced DSC (HyFRDSC) (0.1% PF + 0.1% GF) is increased by 40.7%. Meanwhile, fibers can improve the toughness of DSC. The MIP results show that the porosity of HyFRDSC decreased by 50.01%, and the addition of fiber can effectively refine the large pore size. The SEM results show that the incorporation of PF and GF causes the formation of a uniform and dense structure between the fibers, cement and aggregate. The two can give full play to the crack-resisting and toughening effect in different loading stages, thus improving the macromechanical properties of DSC.