Structural performance of polypropylene fibre-reinforced concrete beams incorporating nanosilica and alccofine

The paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted to examine the effectiveness of polypropylene fibres on the strength and deformation capacity of concrete beams containing nanosilica and alccofine. Six beams, each 150 mm in diameter and 250 mm in cross section, totalling 3000 mm in length, were cast and tested. Out of six beams, one was the control beam without polypropylene fibres, nanosilica, or alccofine. One beam was made with concrete containing nanosilica (1%) and alccofine (15%). The remaining four beams were prepared with concrete containing alccofine and nanosilica and having polypropylene fibres in four different volume fractions. The volume fraction of polypropylene fibres was taken as the primary variable. All the beam specimens were subjected to a four-point bending test in a loading testing frame. The results showed that the introduction of polypropylene fibres increased the load capacity by 29.35%, reduced the deflection by 35.81%, and enhanced the ductility by 8%.