Performance evaluation of a polypropylene-based draw-wired fibre for concrete structures

Abstract. A polypropylene-based draw-wired fibre suitable for fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) is studied and its effect on flexural behaviour, toughness and shrinkage cracking is shown. In order to assess the perfor- mance offered by such a fibre over commercially available synthetic and metallic ones, comparative tests are carried out with respect to standard four-point bending and constrained shrinkage behaviour. The experimental evidence shows that FRC reinforced with these fibres possesses interesting structural fea- tures; in particular, fibres significantly improve crack resistance while enhancing toughness and durabil- ity of FRC elements. Equally important, such behaviour is gained without significantly affecting the workability of the mixture.