Impact Behaviour of Steel-Fibre-Reinforced Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete Exposed to Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

Concrete protective structures are mainly meant to withstand impact loads. However, fire events weaken concrete and reduce its impact resistance. This study investigated the impact behaviour of steel-fibre-reinforced alkali-activated slag (AAS) concrete before and after exposure to elevated temperatures (i.e., 200 °C, 400 °C, and 600 °C). Hydration products’ stability under elevated temperatures, their effects on the fibre–matrix bond, and, consequently, AAS’s static and dynamic responses were investigated. The results reveal that adopting the performance-based design concept to achieve a balance between AAS mixtures’ performance under ambient and elevated temperatures is a crucial designing aspect. Advancing hydration products’ formation will increase the fibre–matrix bond at ambient temperature while negatively affecting it at elevated temperatures. High amounts of formed and, eventually, decomposed hydration products at elevated temperatures reduced the residual strength due to lowering the fibre–matrix bond and developing internal micro-cracks. Steel fibre’s role in reinforcing the hydrostatic core formed during impact loads and delaying crack initiation was emphasized. These findings highlight the need to integrate material and structure design to achieve optimum performance and that low-grade materials can be desired based on the targeted performance. A set of empirical equations for the correlation between steel fibre content in the AAS mixture and corresponding impact performance before and after fire exposure was provided and verified.