Experimental Study on HMPE Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Concrete as a most popular construction material has many advantages such as easiness to be formed into various shapes, common availability and relative low cost. However, the low tensile strength and brittleness are disadvantages for wider application of the material. In this study, an advanced material of high strength and strong abrasion resistance HMPE fiber was used to reinforce concrete properties. A series of experimental testing were carried out to examine the properties of both fresh and hardened HMPE fiber reinforced concrete. It was found that the addition of an HMPE fiber material in concrete may enhance its compressive strength as high as 20% increment without water-reducing admixture. If a water-reducing admixture was applied, the increment of compressive strength may reach as high as 25% for 1.5% volume ratio of fiber content in concrete.