The Self-Sealing Capacity of Environmentally Friendly, Highly Damped, Fibre-Reinforced Concrete

Abstract

Cracks could attenuate the service life of concrete structures because of the intrusion of hazardous substances such as water. In this study, different proportions of Duras S500 fibre were employed to investigate the self-sealing capacity of environmentally friendly, highly damped, fibre-reinforced concrete (EFHDFRC) containing 5% crumb rubber. The workability of EFHDFRC with different proportions of the fibre was investigated by mechanical properties test. The self-sealing capacity was first measured by introducing the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test combined with the damage degree in a time-dependent manner. In addition, the regained compressive strength test and visual inspection were applied as additional measures of the self-sealing capacity. The experimental results show that EFHDFRC with different proportions of fibre showed the maximum sealing degree between the 42nd and 51st days after casting the concrete. EFHDFRC with 0.1% fibre had the best performance and the maximum self-sealing degree (2.82%). In summary, it has been proven that 0.1% fibre could stimulate the self-sealing capacity of EFHDFRC by bridging cracked concrete. Moreover, it is noted that sufficient space in cracks is essential for precipitation formation, which could seal the cracks. The new insights of this innovative self-healing, high-damping material are essential for industrial applications exposed to dynamic load conditions such as railway turnout bearers and sleepers, highspeed rail track slabs, blast-resistant walls and columns, and so on.