Laboratory Fatigue and Toughness Evaluation of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Concrete pavement design is currently centered on steel reinforcement: whether in the form of dowel bars, as in jointed plain concrete pavement, or in the form of continuous rebar reinforcement, as in continuously reinforced concrete pavement. The use of steel in concrete pavements presents durability problems because of the corrodibility of steel. This study evaluated the use of polypropylene fibrillated fibers, polypropylene macrofibers, and carbon fibers as primary reinforcement in concrete pavements for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Results showed that fiber reinforcement can be used to improve both the fatigue and toughness performance of concrete. When post-cracked strength or toughness was the concern, concrete containing more fibers and fibers with a high tensile strength was desirable. Carbon fibers maintained greater load-carrying capacity at lower deflections than did the steel fibers, which produced the greatest ductility. However, toughness and fatigue performance did not correlate for small deflections; this result suggests that polypropylene macrofibers may be adequate for repeated, low-stress loading. This study also found that when repeated low deflections were a concern, such as with pavements, there had to be sufficient fibers across a crack to maintain a tight crack. Conversely, too many fibers prevented adequate consolidation and aggregate interlock and negatively influenced performance. The resultant pavement design, continuously fiber-reinforced concrete pavement, will provide an alternative to jointed plain concrete pavement and continuously reinforced concrete pavement in highway pavement design that is not susceptible to durability problems associated with corrosion of reinforcement.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/2508-05
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309369350
• Authors:
  • Mulheron, Matthew
  • Kevern, John T
  • Rupnow, Tyson D
• Publication Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 39–47
• Monograph Title: Concrete Materials
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 2508
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Carbon fibers; Continuously reinforced concrete pavements; Fatigue strength; Fiber reinforced concrete; Fracture properties; Laboratory tests; Pavement design; Polypropylene
• Identifier Terms: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
• Geographic Terms: Louisiana
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Materials; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I32: Concrete; I33: Other Materials used in Pavement Layers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01555215
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309369350
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-4194
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 26 2015 10:03AM