Influence of bending deflection rate on properties of fibrous mortar

Selection of the construction materials is affected by many factors including their properties under the applied loads. Loading rate is considered as a very important parameter which influences the behavior of the materials. Fibrous concrete is commonly used in applications in which the loading rate exceeds quasi static conditions by a large margin. This paper investigates the influence of flexural loading rate on the performance of fibrous concrete prisms in flexure. Two hundred and fifty two prisms include fibrous concrete and control specimens were prepared and tested. Fiber type, fiber dosage and flexural loading rate were the main parameters considered in this study. Two types of fibers were investigated namely polypropylene fibers and glass fibers. Three dosages of fiber volume fractions were implemented as 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0%. A total of 12 different rates of displacement (0.0039 up to 8 mm/s) for load application were conducted. A computer controlled universal testing machine provided with data acquisition system capable of performing 1000 loop per second was used. Load–central deflection, flexural strength and toughness were the evaluated properties for the investigated specimens. The results indicated that the flexure strength values exhibited loading rate dependence not only for the control mix but also for the investigated fibrous mortar mixes. Also the performance in flexure varied substantially not only with loading rate but with fiber type and fiber volume fractions as well.