A comparative Study of Basalt and Polypropylene Fibers Reinforced Concrete on Compressive and Tensile Behavior

Concrete made with Portland cement has certain characteristics: it is relatively strong in· compression but weak in tension and tends to be brittle. These two weaknesses have limited its use. Another fundamental weakness of concrete is that cracks start to form as soon as concrete is placed and before it has properly hardened. These cracks are major cause of weakness in concrete particularly in large onsite applications leading to subsequent fracture and failure and general lack of durability. The weakness in tension can be overcome by the use of conventional rod reinforcement and to some extent by the inclusion of a sufficient volume of certain fibres. This paper provides result data of the compressive strength, and split tensile strength of basalt and polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete containing fibres' of 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 0.9%, and 1.2% volume fraction by weight of cement (Vf) without admixture. For compression test, A result data obtained has been analysed and compared with a control specimen (0% fiber). A relationship between Compressive strength vs. fiber volume fraction and tensile strength vs. fiber volume fraction of both basalt and polypropylene fiber are represented graphically. Result data clearly shows decrease in compressive strength for C30 Grade of concrete due to addition of basalt fiber and polypropylene fiber. Also, the result data shows that, the optimum dosage for the splitting tensile strength of basalt fiber is in the vicinity of 0.6%. While the optimum dosage for the splitting tensile strength of polypropylene fiber is in the vicinity of 0.3%.