Effect of Elevated Temperatures and Thermal Cycles on Self Compacting Concrete Reinforced with Polypropylene Fibers

Abstract

SCC has been widely adopted in the various applications. Addition of fibers to SCC has shown to increase the strength and concrete durable. Concrete structures are subjected to intense solar radiations and alternating temperatures throughout their lifetime right from the time of casting. The variation in the properties of concrete due to this radiation exposure and thermal cycles of alternating hot and cold temperatures needs to be investigated. The current study presents an investigation on compressive and flexural strength as well as weight reduction in polypropylene fiber reinforced SCC at 100oC thermal cycles of 7, 14 and 28 days. Two mixes of concrete namely normal SCC and SCC with mineral admixture (10% silica fume) are considered. Strength is observed to improve with an increase in thermal cycles while the weight is found to reduce.