Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed Concrete

To address the challenge of balancing static and dynamic strength in the engineering application of foam concrete, this study proposes a strategy to improve the static and dynamic mechanical properties of foam concrete by synergistically adding rubber particles and polypropylene fibers, and systemat...

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Main Authors: Yanzi Wang, Mingzhen Tian, Sindambiwe Theogene, Jianzhu Wang, Bin Lv, Xinyi Zhang, Haixia Gong, Hongbo Zhang, Yazhen Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Buildings
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1663
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author Yanzi Wang
Mingzhen Tian
Sindambiwe Theogene
Jianzhu Wang
Bin Lv
Xinyi Zhang
Haixia Gong
Hongbo Zhang
Yazhen Liu
author_facet Yanzi Wang
Mingzhen Tian
Sindambiwe Theogene
Jianzhu Wang
Bin Lv
Xinyi Zhang
Haixia Gong
Hongbo Zhang
Yazhen Liu
author_sort Yanzi Wang
collection DOAJ
description To address the challenge of balancing static and dynamic strength in the engineering application of foam concrete, this study proposes a strategy to improve the static and dynamic mechanical properties of foam concrete by synergistically adding rubber particles and polypropylene fibers, and systematically analyzes the effects of rubber content, rubber particle size, and fiber content on the material’s compressive strength, flexural strength, and impact toughness. The results show that rubber enhances the dynamic strength of foam concrete through high elastic deformation, with a maximum increase of up to 200%. However, due to the obstruction of hydration reaction, the increase in rubber content reduces the compressive and flexural strength of foam concrete. Meanwhile, the influence of rubber particle size on static strength follows a parabolic trend, with the optimal overall performance achieved at a particle size of 20-mesh, resulting in an approximately 50% enhancement in compressive strength. The addition of fibers to form a three-dimensional mesh structure connecting the cement matrix and rubber particles to inhibit the expansion of cracks can effectively alleviate the deterioration of the static strength of foam concrete caused by rubber particles. The optimal fiber content is 0.2%. In addition, the fiber can also improve the dynamic strength of foam concrete. In addition, the mechanism behind the synergistic improvement of static and dynamic strength by rubber and fiber was summarized. Finally, the optimized proportion and the prediction formulas of static and dynamic strength are established for the above three strength indexes, and the accuracy of the prediction formulas can reach more than 90%.
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spelling doaj-art-eec7e1cc836e46bdafe38003b5b747902025-08-20T01:56:20ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-05-011510166310.3390/buildings15101663Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed ConcreteYanzi Wang0Mingzhen Tian1Sindambiwe Theogene2Jianzhu Wang3Bin Lv4Xinyi Zhang5Haixia Gong6Hongbo Zhang7Yazhen Liu8School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaSchool of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaSchool of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaSchool of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaQilu Expressway Co., Ltd., Jinan 250002, ChinaSchool of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaQilu Expressway Co., Ltd., Jinan 250002, ChinaSchool of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaSchool of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaTo address the challenge of balancing static and dynamic strength in the engineering application of foam concrete, this study proposes a strategy to improve the static and dynamic mechanical properties of foam concrete by synergistically adding rubber particles and polypropylene fibers, and systematically analyzes the effects of rubber content, rubber particle size, and fiber content on the material’s compressive strength, flexural strength, and impact toughness. The results show that rubber enhances the dynamic strength of foam concrete through high elastic deformation, with a maximum increase of up to 200%. However, due to the obstruction of hydration reaction, the increase in rubber content reduces the compressive and flexural strength of foam concrete. Meanwhile, the influence of rubber particle size on static strength follows a parabolic trend, with the optimal overall performance achieved at a particle size of 20-mesh, resulting in an approximately 50% enhancement in compressive strength. The addition of fibers to form a three-dimensional mesh structure connecting the cement matrix and rubber particles to inhibit the expansion of cracks can effectively alleviate the deterioration of the static strength of foam concrete caused by rubber particles. The optimal fiber content is 0.2%. In addition, the fiber can also improve the dynamic strength of foam concrete. In addition, the mechanism behind the synergistic improvement of static and dynamic strength by rubber and fiber was summarized. Finally, the optimized proportion and the prediction formulas of static and dynamic strength are established for the above three strength indexes, and the accuracy of the prediction formulas can reach more than 90%.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1663polypropylene fiberrubberfoamed concretemechanical propertiespredictive model
spellingShingle Yanzi Wang
Mingzhen Tian
Sindambiwe Theogene
Jianzhu Wang
Bin Lv
Xinyi Zhang
Haixia Gong
Hongbo Zhang
Yazhen Liu
Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed Concrete
Buildings
polypropylene fiber
rubber
foamed concrete
mechanical properties
predictive model
title Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed Concrete
title_full Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed Concrete
title_fullStr Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed Concrete
title_full_unstemmed Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed Concrete
title_short Strength Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber-Modified Rubber Foamed Concrete
title_sort strength characteristics of polypropylene fiber modified rubber foamed concrete
topic polypropylene fiber
rubber
foamed concrete
mechanical properties
predictive model
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1663
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AT jianzhuwang strengthcharacteristicsofpolypropylenefibermodifiedrubberfoamedconcrete
AT binlv strengthcharacteristicsofpolypropylenefibermodifiedrubberfoamedconcrete
AT xinyizhang strengthcharacteristicsofpolypropylenefibermodifiedrubberfoamedconcrete
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