Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash
In cold climates, concrete structures confront durability challenges due to harsh conditions. This study evaluates the effects of incorporating natural fibers, such as hemp and flax fibers (at 1 vol%), and partially replacing cement with fly ash (at 25 and 50 wt%) on the properties of cementitious c...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Cleaner Engineering and Technology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790824001332 |
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| author | Ildiko Merta Vesna Zalar Serjun Alenka Mauko Pranjić Aljoša Šajna Mateja Štefančič Bojan Poletanović Farshad Ameri Ana Mladenović |
| author_facet | Ildiko Merta Vesna Zalar Serjun Alenka Mauko Pranjić Aljoša Šajna Mateja Štefančič Bojan Poletanović Farshad Ameri Ana Mladenović |
| author_sort | Ildiko Merta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In cold climates, concrete structures confront durability challenges due to harsh conditions. This study evaluates the effects of incorporating natural fibers, such as hemp and flax fibers (at 1 vol%), and partially replacing cement with fly ash (at 25 and 50 wt%) on the properties of cementitious composites subjected to accelerated aging under freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts.Findings reveal that natural fibers enhance the freeze-thaw resistance, reducing deterioration (scaling) to 5–8% after 56 cycles. When mortars were subjected to accelerated freeze-thaw cycles, the compressive strength of plain mortar significantly decreased (up to 57%). However, adding natural fibers to the matrix substantially reduced its compressive strength loss. In the case of flexural strength, plain mortars experienced 33% loss, while hemp, flax, and polypropylene fiber mortars showed only 13%, 23%, and 10% losses, respectively. Furthermore, mortars experience a notable enhancement in their energy absorption capacity when reinforced with natural fibers, particularly with hemp fibers (up to 348% higher than plain mortar).Under harsh conditions, hemp and flax-reinforced mortars, with 25 wt% fly ash replacement, lose the compressive strength significantly however still demonstrate an alternative to synthetic fibers in terms of flexural strength. Even with 25 wt% of fly ash, mortars with natural fiber reinforcement display significantly superior energy absorption capacities compared to plain mortars (up to 48%). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3be366e0578340b99e599ef11edebe9e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2666-7908 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cleaner Engineering and Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-3be366e0578340b99e599ef11edebe9e2025-08-20T01:58:30ZengElsevierCleaner Engineering and Technology2666-79082025-02-012410085310.1016/j.clet.2024.100853Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ashIldiko Merta0Vesna Zalar Serjun1Alenka Mauko Pranjić2Aljoša Šajna3Mateja Štefančič4Bojan Poletanović5Farshad Ameri6Ana Mladenović7TU Wien, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Karlsplatz 13, 1040, Vienna, Austria; Corresponding author.Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimičeva ulica 12, 1000, Ljubljana, SloveniaSlovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimičeva ulica 12, 1000, Ljubljana, SloveniaSlovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimičeva ulica 12, 1000, Ljubljana, SloveniaSlovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimičeva ulica 12, 1000, Ljubljana, SloveniaTU Wien, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Karlsplatz 13, 1040, Vienna, AustriaTU Wien, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Karlsplatz 13, 1040, Vienna, AustriaSlovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimičeva ulica 12, 1000, Ljubljana, SloveniaIn cold climates, concrete structures confront durability challenges due to harsh conditions. This study evaluates the effects of incorporating natural fibers, such as hemp and flax fibers (at 1 vol%), and partially replacing cement with fly ash (at 25 and 50 wt%) on the properties of cementitious composites subjected to accelerated aging under freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts.Findings reveal that natural fibers enhance the freeze-thaw resistance, reducing deterioration (scaling) to 5–8% after 56 cycles. When mortars were subjected to accelerated freeze-thaw cycles, the compressive strength of plain mortar significantly decreased (up to 57%). However, adding natural fibers to the matrix substantially reduced its compressive strength loss. In the case of flexural strength, plain mortars experienced 33% loss, while hemp, flax, and polypropylene fiber mortars showed only 13%, 23%, and 10% losses, respectively. Furthermore, mortars experience a notable enhancement in their energy absorption capacity when reinforced with natural fibers, particularly with hemp fibers (up to 348% higher than plain mortar).Under harsh conditions, hemp and flax-reinforced mortars, with 25 wt% fly ash replacement, lose the compressive strength significantly however still demonstrate an alternative to synthetic fibers in terms of flexural strength. Even with 25 wt% of fly ash, mortars with natural fiber reinforcement display significantly superior energy absorption capacities compared to plain mortars (up to 48%).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790824001332Cementitious compositesNatural fibersFreeze-thaw cyclesMechanical propertiesMass lossFly ash |
| spellingShingle | Ildiko Merta Vesna Zalar Serjun Alenka Mauko Pranjić Aljoša Šajna Mateja Štefančič Bojan Poletanović Farshad Ameri Ana Mladenović Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash Cleaner Engineering and Technology Cementitious composites Natural fibers Freeze-thaw cycles Mechanical properties Mass loss Fly ash |
| title | Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash |
| title_full | Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash |
| title_short | Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash |
| title_sort | investigating the synergistic impact of freeze thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ash |
| topic | Cementitious composites Natural fibers Freeze-thaw cycles Mechanical properties Mass loss Fly ash |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790824001332 |
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