Influence of basalt micro-fibres on the abrasion resistance of concrete in hydraulic structures

In hydraulic structures, abrasion resistance can be a significant driver in concrete specification. Basalt micro-fibres represent a potentially sustainable construction product and have been shown to provide various benefits in concrete, however the implications for hydrodynamic abrasion resistance are to date unclear. This paper is the first investigation of its kind to examine the abrasion resistance of basalt fibre-reinforced (BFR) concretes using the ASTM C1138 underwater test method. Towards this, concretes incorporating fibre dosages of 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 3 kg/m3 were tested. The relationships between concrete abrasion and its fundamental mechanical properties are evaluated. For the particular concretes examined, it is found that based on the Shapiro-Wilks tests at 95% confidence, abrasion loss in BFR concretes followed a normal distribution; the use of basalt fibre in contents of up to 3 kg/m3 did not have a significant effect on abrasion resistance, compressive and tensile splitting strengths, as well as modulus of elasticity. It can be concluded that basalt micro-fibre can be used for their other attributes such as controlling bleeding, shrinkage and plastic cracking in concrete hydraulic structures without deleterious effects on abrasion resistance. The regression models proposed to predict concrete abrasion loss from its mechanical properties were found to be only significant at 48 h for compressive strength and 24 h for both tensile splitting strength and modulus of elasticity.