Effects of Polypropylene Fibers on the Frost Resistance of Natural Sand Concrete and Machine-Made Sand Concrete

Abstract

In order to study the effect of polypropylene fibers on the frost resistance of natural sand and machine-made sand concrete, polypropylene fibers (PPF) of different volumes and lengths were mixed into natural sand and machine-made sand concrete, respectively. The freeze–thaw cycle test was carried out on polypropylene-fiber-impregnated natural sand concrete (PFNSC) and polypropylene-fiber-impregnated manufactured sand concrete (PFMSC), respectively, and the apparent structural changes before and after freezing and thawing were observed. Its strength damage was analyzed. A freeze–thaw damage model and a response surface model (RSM) were established used to analyze the antifreeze performance of PFMSC, and the effects of the fiber content, fiber length, and freeze–thaw times on the antifreeze performance of PFMSC were studied. The results show that with the increase in the number of freeze–thaw cycles, the apparent structures of the PFMSC gradually deteriorated, the strength decreased, and the degree of freeze–thaw damage increased. According to the strength damage model, the optimum volume of PPF for the PFNSC specimens is 1.2%, and the optimum volume of PPF for the PFMSC specimens is 1.0%. According to the prediction of RSM, PFNSC can maintain good antifreeze performance within 105 freeze–thaw cycles, and when the PPF length is 11.8 mm, the antifreeze performance of PFNSC reaches the maximum, its maximum compressive strength value is 33.8 MPa, and the split tensile strength value is 3.1 MPa; PFMSC can maintain a good antifreeze performance within 96 freeze–thaw cycles. When the length of PPF is 9.1 mm, the antifreeze performance of PFMSC reaches the maximum, its maximum compressive strength value is 45.8 MPa, and its split tensile strength value is 3.2 MPa. The predicted values are in good agreement with the measured values, and the model has high reliability.