Influence of UV-treated polypropylene fibres on residual compressive strength of cement paste
Daha Shehu ALIYU, Colin T. DAVIE, Enrico MASOERO
Abstract. Concrete can experience high temperatures in various situations, including accidental fire. It is known that high temperature degrades the material, disintegrates calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), and decreases compressive strength. Polypropylene fibres (PPF) are often added to concrete to reduce its likelihood of spalling when exposed to fire. However, it is also known that the addition of PPF tends to reduce the compressive strength, probably because the PPF doesn’t bond well to the cement due to the hydrophobic nature of PPF. So, this research investigates the efficacy of ultraviolet treatment of polypropylene fibers (UV-TPPF) in enhancing the residual compressive strength of cement paste. Results indicate that UV-TPPF significantly increases the compressive strength of cement paste at ambient temperature, achieving improvements of 24%, 16%, and 10% for PPF additions of 2%, 3%, and 4%, respectively. At elevated temperatures, UV-TPPF samples maintained higher residual compressive strength than non-treated polypropylene fibre (NON-TPPF), showing peak strength increases of 32%, 25%, and 6% at 200°C for respective PPF contents. These enhancements are attributed to the improved bond between the UV-TPPF and cement paste due to changing the surface chemistry of PPF from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. This study demonstrates that UV-TPPF offers a promising approach to mitigating the adverse effects of high temperatures on concrete strength.
Keywords
Cement Paste, Calcium Silicate Hydrate, Polypropylene Fibres, Ultraviolet Treatment, High-Temperature, Residual Compressive Strength
Published online 2/25/2025, 9 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Daha Shehu ALIYU, Colin T. DAVIE, Enrico MASOERO, Influence of UV-treated polypropylene fibres on residual compressive strength of cement paste, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 48, pp 359-367, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903414-40
The article was published as article 40 of the book Civil and Environmental Engineering for Resilient, Smart and Sustainable Solutions
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
References
[1] H. Colina and J. Sercombe, “Transient thermal creep of concrete in service conditions at temperatures up to 300°C,” Mag. Concr. Res., vol. 56, no. 10, pp. 559–574, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.56.10.559.53681
[2] D. Gawin, F. Pesavento, and B. A. Schrefler, “Modelling of deformations of high strength concrete at elevated temperatures,” Mater. Struct. Constr., vol. 37, no. 268, pp. 218–236, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1617/14078
[3] R. Sarshar and G. A. Khoury, “Material and environmental factors influencing the compressive strength of unsealed cement paste and concrete at high temperatures,” Mag. Concr. Res., vol. 45, no. 162, pp. 51–61, 1993. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.1993.45.162.51
[4] G. A. Khoury, “Compressive strength of concrete at high temperatures: A reassessment,” Mag. Concr. Res., vol. 44, no. 161, pp. 291–309, 1992. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.1992.44.161.291
[5] U. Schneider et al., “Recommendations: Part 6 – Thermal strain,” Mater. Struct. Constr., vol. 30, no. 196 HS, pp. 17–21, 1997. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02539270
[6] H. L. Zhang and C. T. Davie, “A numerical investigation of the influence of pore pressures and thermally induced stresses for spalling of concrete exposed to elevated temperatures,” Fire Saf. J., vol. 59, pp. 102–110, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2013.03.019
[7] J. Wang, C. T. Davie, E. Masoero, and C. T. Davie, “The Effect of Micro-structural Mechanisms on the Macro-level Behaviour of Cementitious Materials at Elevated Temperatures”.
[8] C. T. Davie, C. J. Pearce, and N. Bićanić, “A fully generalised, coupled, multi-phase, hygro-thermo-mechanical model for concrete,” Mater. Struct. Constr., vol. 43, no. SUPPL. 1, pp. 13–33, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-010-9591-y
[9] B. Georgali and P. E. Tsakiridis, “Microstructure of fire-damaged concrete. A case study,” Cem. Concr. Compos., vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 255–259, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2004.02.022
[10] R. Felicetti and P. G. Gambarova, “Effects of high temperature on the residual compressive strength of high-strength siliceous concretes,” ACI Mater. J., vol. 95, no. 4, pp. 395–406, 1998. https://doi.org/10.14359/382
[11] G. B. H. and M. F. K. M. Saad, S.A. Abo-El-Eneini, “Effect of temperature on phsical and mechanical properties of concrete containing silica fume,” Cem. Concr. Res., vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 669–675, 1996, [Online]. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cirp.2016.06.001%0A
[12] J. C. Dotreppe et al., “Experimental research on the determination of the main parameters affecting the behaviour of reinforced concrete columns under fire conditions,” Mag. Concr. Res., vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 117–127, 1997. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.1997.49.179.117
[13] Bournazel J. P. and Moranville M, “Durability of concrete: The crossroad between chemstry and mechanics,” Cem. Concr. Res., vol. 27, no. 10, pp. 1543–1552, 1997.
[14] LI Bei-xing, CHEN Ming-xiang, CHENG Fang, LIU Lu-ping, “The Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete,” J. Wuhan Univ. Technol. – Mater. Sci. Ed., vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 68–71, 2004. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.739.264
[15] M. Zeiml, D. Leithner, R. Lackner, and H. A. Mang, How do polypropylene fibers improve the spalling behavior of in-situ concrete?, vol. 36. 2006. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconres.2005.12.018
[16] G. Ossola and A. Wojcik, “UV modification of tire rubber for use in cementitious composites,” Cem. Concr. Compos., vol. 52, pp. 34–41, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2014.04.004
[17] G. A. Khoury and B. Willoughby, “Polypropylene fibres in heated concrete. Part 1: Molecular structure and materials behaviour,” Mag. Concr. Res., vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 125–136, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.2008.60.2.125
[18] D. Hernández-Cruz et al., “Multiscale characterization of chemical-mechanical interactions between polymer fibers and cementitious matrix,” Cem. Concr. Compos., vol. 48, pp. 9–18, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2014.01.001
[19] A. Noumowe, “Mechanical properties and microstructure of high strength concrete containing polypropylene fibres exposed to temperatures up to 200 °c,” Cem. Concr. Res., vol. 35, no. 11, pp. 2192–2198, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2005.03.007
[20] Quinn Cement, “Quinn CEM II / A-L 32 , 5R General Purpose Cement ( Bagged ),” vol. 44, no. 1, p. 8866, 2011.
[21] H. S. Wong and N. R. Buenfeld, “Determining the water-cement ratio, cement content, water content and degree of hydration of hardened cement paste: Method development and validation on paste samples,” Cem. Concr. Res., vol. 39, no. 10, pp. 957–965, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2009.06.013
[22] U. Schneider, “Concrete at high temperatures — A general review,” Fire Saf. J., vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 55–68, Apr. 1988. https://doi.org/10.1016/0379-7112(88)90033-1
[23] C. Alonso and L. Fernandez, “Dehydration and rehydration processes of cement paste exposed to high temperature environments,” J. Mater. Sci., vol. 39, no. 9, pp. 3015–3024, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JMSC.0000025827.65956.18
[24] K. Coopamootoo and E. Masoero, “Cement pastes with UV-irradiated polypropylene: Fracture energy and the benefit of adding metakaolin,” Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 165, pp. 303–309, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.12.143
[25] G. D. Manolis, P. J. Gareis, A. D. Tsonos, and J. A. Neal, “Dynamic properties of polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete slabs,” Cem. Concr. Compos., vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 341–349, 1997. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0958-9465(97)00030-9
[26] J. Komonen and V. Penttala, “Effects of high temperature on the pore structure and strength of plain and polypropylene fiber reinforced cement pastes,” Fire Technol., vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 23–34, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021723126005
[27] R. Sarshar, “Effect of elevated temperatures on the strength of different cement paste and concrete,” A thesis Submitt. Degree Dr. Philos. Univ. London, vol. 6, no. 6.1, p. 93, 1989.
[28] J. Xiao and H. Falkner, “On residual strength of high-performance concrete with and without polypropylene fibres at elevated temperatures,” Fire Saf. J., vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 115–121, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2005.11.004
[29] M. R. Irshidat, N. Al-nuaimi, and M. Rabie., “The Role of Polypropylene Microfibers in Thermal Properties and Post-Heating Behavior of Cementitious Composite,” pp. 12–15, 2020.
[30] C. A. W. Jeffery D. Peterson, Sergey Vyazovkin, “Macro Chemistry Physics – 2001 – Peterson – Kinetics of the Thermal and Thermo‐Oxidative Degradation of Polystyrene (1).pdf,” vol. 202, pp. 775–784, 2001. https://doi.org/1022-1352/2001/0603–0775$17.50+.50/0
