An Investigation on Strength and Transport Properties of Self-Consolidating Lightweight Concrete Containing Polypropylene Fibers

The development of new types of high performance concrete such as self-consolidating concrete (SCC) and lightweight concrete (LWC)responds to some of the urgent needs of the construction sector. The use of lightweight aggregates in the production of SCC combines the favorable properties of LWC and SCC in self-consolidating lightweight concrete (SCLC). However, there are few studies on properties of SCLC up to now. In this study, the effects of polypropylene fibers on strength and transport properties of SCLC were investigated. Two types of polypropylene fibers, 6mm and 12mm long, were used in SCLC mixtures at different contents of 0%, 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1% by total volume of concrete. The fresh properties of SCLCs were observed through slump flow time and diameter, V-funnel flow time and J-ring tests. Unit weight, compressive strength, flexural strength, pulse velocity, water absorption, and sorptivity were measured in all SCLC mixes and compared with that of the control mixture. It has been found that using polypropylene fibers in SCLC can lead to improvement in both strength and transport properties of concrete