Research on the Impact Performance of Polypropylene Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Composite Wall Panels

Abstract

Polypropylene fibers (PPFs), characterized by their low density, cost-effectiveness, and superior corrosion resistance, can be effectively incorporated into concrete to enhance the impact resistance of wall panels. This study introduces an innovative composite wall panel utilizing polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete (PFRC) as the core material. Initially, an experimental investigation into the mechanical properties of PFRC was conducted, and based on these results, a constitutive model for PFRC was established. Subsequently, the impact-induced mechanical behavior of the innovative composite wall panel was investigated through finite element simulations employing ABAQUS, version 2020, software. The findings indicate that polypropylene fibers significantly improve both the compressive strength and ductility of concrete, with an optimal coarse fiber content of 1%. The inclusion of glass fiber grids and polypropylene fibers reduced the number of cracks and the overall deformation of the composite wall panel. The integration of glass fiber grids coupled with fiber reinforcement resulted in 7.2% and 27.8% enhancements in impact resistance, respectively. Parametric studies demonstrated that greater concrete panel thickness effectively diminishes post-impact peak and residual displacements in composite wall systems. Furthermore, the impact resistance was found to be weaker at the panel edges and stronger at a quarter of the panel height.