Investigation of Mechanical Properties of High-Performance Steel and Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Authors

  • Aditya Milmile

    1. Advanced Concrete, Steel & Composites (ACSC) Group, CSIR – Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee 247667, India

    2. Department of Civil Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur 440010, India
  • Rajesh Kumar

    Advanced Concrete, Steel & Composites (ACSC) Group, CSIR – Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee 247667, India
  • Banti Amarshah Gedam

    Department of Civil Engineering, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat 395007, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v7i4.9137
Received: 18 March 2025 | Revised: 5 April 2025 | Accepted: 15 April 2025 | Published Online: 24 October 2025

Abstract

Fiber reinforcement significantly enhances the strength, toughness, and durability of concrete by reducing the propagation of microcracks in the concrete matrix. With the rising demand for high-performance concrete (HPC), this study investigates the mechanical properties of HPC with varying proportions of polypropylene (PP) and steel (ST) fibers. Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) toward partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) were incorporated to prepare HPC mixes as a ternary composite system using Fly Ash (FA), Silica Fume (SF), and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS). Each HPC mix comprised two SCMs, accounting for 20% of the mass fraction of the OPC binder. The study encompassed fiber percentages ranging from 0 to 0.075% PP and 0 to 2% ST, incorporating them into the HPC mixes with gradual increases of 0.025% for PP and 0.5% for ST fiber by mass fraction. All HPC mixes were tested for mechanical properties using compressive and split tensile strength tests. The influence of SCMs on HPC was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) for microstructural analyses. It was found that the compressive and split tensile strengths of HPC increased up to an optimal fiber percentage and then decreased. A comparison of the test results of high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete with those of plain HPC revealed significant improvements in compressive and splitting tensile strengths by 26.59% and 57.74%, respectively. Also, the XRD analysis revealed that the composition of the SCMs in HPC was a significant and effective solution for the mechanical properties of the concrete.

Keywords:

Low Carbon Cement; High-Performance Concrete; Mechanical Properties; Supplementary Cementitious Materials; Polypropylene Fibers

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How to Cite

Milmile, A., Kumar, R., & Gedam, B. A. (2025). Investigation of Mechanical Properties of High-Performance Steel and Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete. Journal of Building Material Science, 7(4), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v7i4.9137

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 4 (December 2025): In Progress

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2025 Aditya Milmile, Rajesh Kumar, Banti Amarshah Gedam

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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