Influence of CaCO3 whiskers, steel fibers and basalt fibers hybridization on flexural toughness of concrete

Abstract

Nowadays, hybrid fiber reinforced concrete is developed with the combination of CaCO3 whiskers, steel and basalt fibers due to their enhanced mechanical properties of structural applications. In this study, the effect of different basalt fiber contents on flexural strength of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete (HyFRC) is investigated. In addition to this, the energy absorbed (E), toughness indices (TI) up to specified point and residual strength factor (RSF) are also calculated according to the ASTM C1018. The steel fibers and CaCO3 whiskers having contents of 5% each, by cement mass, are added. To prepare HyFRC, HyFRC1, HyFRC2, and HyFRC3, different basalt fiber content of 0%, 2.5%, 5% and 7.5%, respectively, are added. The increment in flexural strength of HyFRC up to 16% is observed. Future recommendations are to optimize basalt fiber length and content for mechanical properties of HyFRC.