Nano-modified cementitious composites with high volume supplementary cementitious materials incorporating basalt fiber pellets

Abstract

In this study, high performance nano-modified cementitious composites were developed. These composites incorporate 50% fly ash or slag (industrial by-products) replacement of the cement component, 6% nano-silica sol and a new type of basalt fiber strands encapsulated by polymeric resins termed as basalt fiber pellets. The fresh and mechanical properties were investigated for the developed composites with different dosages of basalt pellets (2.5%, 4.5% and 6.9% by volume). Generally, the slag based composites showed improved performance compared to the fly ash based composites. Although the compressive strength of the specimens was reduced with increasing the dosage of pellets, the flexural performance of the composites was significantly enhanced in terms of post-cracking behavior, residual strength and toughness. Composites comprising 4.5% and 6.9% pellets exhibited deflection-hardening behavior. Hence, they have a promising potential for many infrastructure applications.