An Examination of the Synergy of Steel, Polypropylene, and Glass Fiber Length and Content in Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Performance and Economic Analysis

Shamsipour Dehkordi, Khosro; Mohamadi Dehcheshmeh, Mohamad; Ghodrati Amiri, Gholamreza; Fazeli, Pezhman

doi:10.22059/ceij.2025.390515.2250

An Examination of the Synergy of Steel, Polypropylene, and Glass Fiber Length and Content in Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Performance and Economic Analysis

Articles in Press

Authors

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, ShK.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

² Natural Disasters Prevention Research Center, School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/ceij.2025.390515.2250

Abstract

Concrete is a widely used material in construction due to its cost-effectiveness, strength, and compatibility. However, increasing its strength introduces limitations such as brittleness and low tensile and flexural strength. Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) was developed using materials like steel, glass, and polypropylene (PP) to resolve this issue. Each type of FRC, with varying specifications and fiber content, affects the performance and cost of concrete differently, necessitating thorough examination. This study investigates the impact of steel, glass, and PP fibers on the mechanical and economic performance of FRC mixtures, focusing on how the length and content of fibers influence properties such as compressive, tensile, flexural strength, flexural toughness, and economic efficiency index. To ensure better comparisons, a constant slump was maintained across all mixtures. The results show that while glass and PP fibers enhance tensile and flexural strength, their addition reduces compressive strength and modulus of elasticity. Moreover, increasing the content and length of glass and PP fibers further decreases compressive strength and modulus of elasticity. FRC with PP fibers improves tensile and flexural performance at a lower cost and CO2 emissions. In contrast, despite higher costs and CO2 emissions, FRC with steel fibers demonstrates superior mechanical improvements across all parameters.

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