Effect of synthetic fibres on concrete with GGBFS replaced cement

Abstract

Concrete is used widely in many construction activities. As cement is getting costlier and demand is growing more day by day, investigators have been trying to replace cement with other materials to save money either by maintaining the properties using waste materials or by enhancing the properties using selected materials. This paper is an attempt to study the various engineering properties of a concrete made with cement replaced by ground granulated blast furnace slag. To maintain the engineering properties, a synthetic fiber namely Recron 3s fibers manufactured by Reliance Industry Limited, India (RIL) and commonly available in the local retail market of India, has been used in various proportions. The experimental investigations include basic tests for cement, and conventional tests for concrete such as compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength have been taken up. The capillary tests and porosity tests have been also conducted to study the effects of concrete in respect of resistance to seeping or dampening. It has been observed that the Recron fibers to the extent of 0.2% fiber content maintain the satisfactory properties of concrete. However, the resistance to capillary action and porosity problems in concrete is improved considerably.