Improving the Mechanical Properties of Concrete Mixtures by Shape Memory Alloy Fibers and Silica Fume

Concrete, as one of the most widely applied materials in buildings, has high environmental impacts. Researchers are continually seeking solutions to mitigate these environmental issues while enhancing the mechanical strength and durability of concrete. However, there is a lack of studies on the effect of combining silica fume (SF) as pozzolanic materials and shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers on the mechanical properties of concrete. Moreover, there is very limited research on the influence of these materials on concrete mixtures after primary failure cracks using the secondary compressive strength test. In this research, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% SMA and 5, 7.5, and 10% SF were applied and then subjected to compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, secondary compressive strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests. According to the results, 10% SF is more economical, which increases the compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strength by 14%, 7%, and 10%, respectively. Also, using 0.3% SMA improves the compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strength by 2%, 5%, and 8%, respectively. Furthermore, SMA has the ability to reduce the secondary compressive strength compared to other samples, indicating the quality of this material in controlling stress after cracking. Finally, it was indicated that the combined use of these two materials increases the strength parameters.