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Procedia Engineering 153 (2016) 866 – 873

XXV Polish – Russian – Slovak Seminar “Theoretical Foundation of Civil Engineering”

Concrete slabs strengthened

with basalt fibres – experimental tests results
Maria Wlodarczyka*, Igor Jedrzejewskia
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Warsaw Univerity of Technology, Al. Armii Ludowej 16, Warsaw 00-637, Poland

Abstract

Cracks and microcracks can occur in concrete pavement slabs resting on the soil surface during their exploitation. These effects
are the result of concreting method and environmental conditions. Nowadays, concrete pavement slabs are usually reinforced
with steel grid placed in the middle of element’s height. This solution is not completely satisfying because slab’s response
implicates non-uniform deformation which, in extreme situations, can lead to lose of the construction’s integrity.
The purpose of this work is to investigate for premising technology substitution of the steel grid with basalt short fibre. The main
objective is to find optimum amount of fibres, test experimentally impact on the composite’s properties and to determine select
members capacity.

©
© 2016
2016TheTheAuthors.
Authors.Published
Publishedby by
Elsevier Ltd.Ltd.
Elsevier This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the XXV Polish – Russian – Slovak Seminar “Theoretical
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the XXV Polish – Russian – Slovak Seminar “Theoretical Foundation
Foundation of Civil Engineering.
of Civil Engineering”.
Keywords: concrete; basalt fibres; material properties; experimental tests; pavement slab; composites

1. Introduction

In many countries, including Sweden for pedestrian pavements or road shoulders concrete slabs on strengthen soil
are often used. Those slabs are usually reinforced with steel grid placed in the middle of height of element are used.
For instance, in Sweden [1] slabs of 112 mm height, slabs reinforced by I6 steel grid with 150 mm spacing (Fig. 1).

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +48-22-234-63-01; fax: +48-22825-65-32.

E-mail address: maria.wlodarczyk@il.pw.edu.pl

1877-7058 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the XXV Polish – Russian – Slovak Seminar “Theoretical Foundation of Civil Engineering”.
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.200
 Maria Wlodarczyk and Igor Jedrzejewski / Procedia Engineering 153 (2016) 866 – 873 867

Fig. 1. Cross-section of typical reinforced concrete slab used for pedestrian pavements.

Solutions mentioned above experience few crucial problems. Among others, crack development and deterioration
of construction’s consistency. Cracks and mikrocracks can be considered as results of building method (casting and
curing), harsh weather conditions and then localized deformation. Those situations in extreme condition can also
lead to excessive damage and construction’s disintegration.
In the places where concrete construction has deteriorated, steel reinforcement starts to corrode because of
environmental conditions impact. Moreover, unwanted vegetation and weeds growing in the bigger cracks may lead
to additional degradation of concrete’s structure and have bad impact on area’s visual aspect.
Other solutions to the problem can be proposed instead of conventional methods. Addition of short steel fibres
into concrete can be one of those solutions. However, this solution did not match expected results. While amount of
cracks and their width had decreased, corrosion problem still existed. Rust stains which are characteristic for steel
reinforcement corrosion can occur not only near the cracks but also in other places. That can happen because of
insufficient clear concrete cover for fibres (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Concrete slab reinforced with steel fibres [1].

Therefore short basalt fibres one decided to use. Those fibres are stronger than steel ones and have better
resistance to chemical aggression, which is the result of harsh environmental conditions.
That is why experimental research was performed to verify this new technology. The objective of our
experiments were to find optimum amount of fibres in concrete and investigate its influence on composite properties
and load capacity.

2. Influence of basalt short fibres on concrete mix properties

Basalt fibres has been used in civil engineering for about ten years. Thus, they are still innovative material and
because of that it is hard to find enough research results describing its influence on both fresh concrete mixture and
hardened concrete element. Nowadays this problem is the object of tests conducted in laboratories all over the
world. Significant number of reasons that can cause changes in concrete properties is the mayor issue for structure
behavior estimation. Depending on fibres the following reasons has to be analysed: batch, mechanical properties,
lining used, moisture, shape coefficient, distribution and orientation of fibres in mixture, concrete class has also
influence. Using the same fibres in two slightly different mixes could give disparate results. Those are the main
reasons why producers rarely put specific information in literature about the fibres influence on its product. In the
868 Maria Wlodarczyk and Igor Jedrzejewski / Procedia Engineering 153 (2016) 866 – 873

most cases they only briefly describe predicted influence of using fibres on concrete properties, simultaneously
emphasizing the necessity of making test before using fibres in large scale.
There is many valuable information in literature about effect of using basalt fibres on composite strength
(concrete strengthened with short basalt fibre) depending on its amount [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13], elastic
modulus [2, 4, 16, 17, 18, 19] workability [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] and permeability [3, 19, 20]. Table 1 shows results of
two compressive strength tests conducted by two researchers , depending on amount of basalt fibres [5, 6].

Table 1. Compressive strength test result depending on basalt fibre content [5, 6].
Amount of basalt fibre Tabsheer Ahmed [5] Irine Fathima [6]
3
[kg/m ] Compressive Change Compressive Change
strength after strength after
[%] [%]
28 days 28 days
[MPa] [MPa]
0 34.6 - 35.4 -
1 37.5 8.3 36.5 3.1
2 42.7 23.3 38.4 8.5
3 50.4 45.6 - -
4 64.1 85.3 40.2 13.6

3. Experimental tests description

3.1. Elements tested

To evaluate optimum amount of basalt fibres needed to obtain similar or better strength and usage properties than
in elements with steel grid (Fig. 1), three series of bending tests were conducted. Series were defined by type of
reinforcement used. So, the elements from series S1S had steel grid only (Fig. 1), series S2BF – steel grid with
addition of basalt fibres type BBC-25 and series S3MB – steel grid plus basalt fibres type MiniBarsTM. Elements
geometry was designed to simulate part of pavement slab, cross-section – 112 u 300 mm and length – 1200 mm.
Apart flexural test on beams, compression and tension tests and pull-off tests on adherence were performed.
Table 2 shows number of samples and elements tested.

Table 2. Number of elements in tested series.

Series/ Elements tested/Tests type Fibres batch/number of samples
Series S1S (steel grid) No fibres
Bending beams [112 u 300 u 1200 mm] 2
Compressive strength [cubes 150 u 150 u 150 mm] 3
Tensile strength [cubes 150 u 150 u 150 mm] 3
Adherence: pull-off [slab 500 u500 u 50 mm] 1
Series S2BF (steel grid and basalt fibres BCC-25) 3 kg/m3 5 kg/m3 7 kg/m3
Bending beams [112 u 300 u 1200 mm] 3 3 3
Compressive strength [cubes 150 u 150 u 150 mm] 3 3 3
Tensile strength [cubes 150 u 150 u 150 mm] 3 3 3
Adherence: pull-off [slab 500 u500 u 50 mm] 1 1 1
Series S3MB (steel grid and basalt fibres MiniBarsTM ) 8 kg/m3 10 kg/m3 12 kg/m3
Bending beams [112 u 300 u 1200 mm] 3 3 3
Compressive strength [cubes 150 u 150 u 150 mm] 3 3 3
 Maria Wlodarczyk and Igor Jedrzejewski / Procedia Engineering 153 (2016) 866 – 873 869

Tensile strength [cubes 150 u 150 u 150 mm] 3 3 3

Adherence: pull-off [slab 500 u500 u 50 mm] 1 1 1

In series 2 and 3 volume batch of basalt fibres was from 0,13 to 0,30% of concrete fresh mix. In this paper
adherence tests were not conducted.

3.2. Concrete and steel

All tested elements were made of concrete class C35/45 and reinforced with BSt500S steel bars (Fig 3).

Fig. 3. Beam reinforcement scheme.

3.3. BCC-25 fibres

Those fibres are produced by cutting continuous basalt fibre (CBF) for uniform length fragments (Fig. 4). Fibres
are impregnated with special sizing in the final stage of production to maintain adherence to concrete.

BCC-25 properties are shown in the table 3.

Table 3. BCC-25 properties (producer GBF, China) [21, 22].

Fibre characteristic
Monofilament diameter [Pm] 13-16
Length [mm] 25
Density [g/cm3] 2.63
Water absorption None
Elastic modulus [GPa] 75-90
Tensile strength [MPa] 3000-3200
Elongation at break [%] 3.1
Moisture [%] < 0.1
Sizing type silane (KH550)
Sizing content (KH550) < 0.85

3.4. MiniBarsTM

Basalt FRP Macrofiber MiniBarsTM are small bars (Fig. 5) made by joining continuous basalt fibre with polymer
vinylester resin matrix by pultrusion process, and then cut into separate uniform length pieces. Final product has
diameter varying from 0,65 to 0,70 mm. Fibre length is determined in accordance with used concrete mix. For the
mixture used in tests, fibres with 43 mm length were used, according to producer recommendation. It gives about
28 000 MiniBarsTM per kilogram of product [23].
870 Maria Wlodarczyk and Igor Jedrzejewski / Procedia Engineering 153 (2016) 866 – 873

Fig. 4. BCC-25 basalt fibre. Fig. 5. FRP MiniBarsTM.

In MiniBarsTM the main part which carries the loads is basalt chopped fibre, resin matrix should transfer the loads
into proper direction and additionally maintain protection from environmental factors linked with high temperature
and moisture [24]. Vinylester resin is made by joining epoxy resin with unsaturated carboxylic acid [25]. Fibre
technical data are shown in table 4.

Table 4. MiniBarsTM properties (producer ReforceTech, Norway) [23].

Fibre characteristic
Monofilament diameter [mm] 0.65
Length [mm] 43
Density [g/cm3] 19
Water absorption None
Elastic modulus [GPa] 44
Tensile strength [MPa] 1080
Alkali resistance Excellent

3.5. Structural scheme and test setup

Structural scheme used in the test was four point bending single span roller supported beam with rectangular
cross section 112 u 300 mm and span length 1000 mm. In this case there is constant bending moment in central part
of the beam, between load points (Fig. 6). During tests some internal forces cracking development and cracking and
ultimate moments were recorded. Deflections were measured by mechanical strain gauges MDKb-B. Strength and
deflection sensors were plugged to computer data acquisition system.

Fig.6. Test stand.

4. Experimental tests results and its analysis

4.1. Concrete strength test

Compressive strength was defined according to code [26], and tensile strength was estimated in split test
according to [27]. Table 5 shows comparison of average results of compressive (fcm) and tensile (fctm) strength for all
tested series with percentile changes in relation to mixture without fibres.
 Maria Wlodarczyk and Igor Jedrzejewski / Procedia Engineering 153 (2016) 866 – 873 871

Table 5. Compressive and tensile strength tests results.

Series Fibre type Batch [kg/m3] fcm [MPa] Change fcm [%] fctm [MPa] Change fctm [%]
S1S reference - 48.95 - 3.08 -
S2BF3 BCC-25 3 38.53 - 21 3.29 7
S2BF5 BCC-25 5 51.46 5 2.65 - 14
S2BF7 BCC-25 7 34.90 - 29 2.52 - 18
S3BM8 MiniBarsTM 8 38.41 - 22 3.09 0
TM
S3BM10 MiniBars 10 52.55 7 3.29 7
S3BM12 MiniBarsTM 12 49.17 2 3.08 0

After analysis of obtained compressive and tensile strength results one can observe that there is no straight
correlation between fibres batch and strength gain in relation to reference sample (Tab. 4). In case of compressive
strength for samples from series S2BF3, S2BF7 and S3MB8 we get lower values than S1S samples, while values of
tensile strength are lower respectively for S2BF5 and S2BF7. In other series we can observe little strength gain
varied from 5 to 7 %.

4.2. Bending elements

All tested samples collapsed through the fracture mode in the middle region of beam span. Table 6 shows average
values of crack moments (Mcr) and ultimate moments (MU) for tested elements and its percentile gain in relation to
reference sample (Fig. 3). In the last column there is also ratio of ultimate to cracking moment.

Table 6. The test results of bending beams – the value of moments and their changes.
Series Mcr [kNm] Change Mcr [%] MU[kNm] Change MU[%] MU/Mcr
S1S 1.90 - 2.01 - 1.06
S2BF3 2.15 13 2.24 11 1.04
S2BF5 2.11 11 2.36 17 1.12
S2BF7 2.23 17 2.43 21 1.09
S3BM8 2.11 11 2.87 43 1.36
S3BM10 2.39 26 2.91 44 1.22
S3BM12 2.40 26 3.28 63 1.37

From conducted tests results one can observe that values of both cracking and ultimate moments are increasing
with increase of fibre content in concrete mixture. In case of cracking moments fibre type Bcc-25 in batch 3 and
5 kg/m3 cause comparable increment in relation to samples with no fibres, respectively 13 and 11%. Increase of
fibre dosage to 7 kg/m3 results in increase of average crack moments by 17%. Addition of MiniBarsTM in amount of
8 kg/m3 caused average increase of cracking moments by 11% so comparable to use fibres BCC-25 in lower dosage
(Tab. 6). However, using MiniBarsTM in amount of 10 and 12 kg/m3 significantly increased values of cracking
moments in relation to S1S samples, for both series average gain was 26%.
Analyses of ultimate moments recorded during tests had discovered that BCC-25 basalt fibres showed
proportional tendency to obtain higher values than for beams without fibres, respectively by 11, 17 and 21%,
depending on fibre content (Tab. 6). Usage of MiniBarsTM caused significant growth in ultimate moments. For series
S3MB8 average ultimate moment was 2.87 kNm, which is higher than for S1S series beams by 43% (Tab. 6).
Bigger content of MiniBarsTM, like for BCC-25 fibres, resulted in constant growth of ultimate moments. However,
we need to point out that dosage 10 kg/m3 gave only slight gain in ultimate moment (44% more than beams without
fibres) in relation to previous test series, when 8 kg/m3 content of fibres were used. On the other hand, in the last
872 Maria Wlodarczyk and Igor Jedrzejewski / Procedia Engineering 153 (2016) 866 – 873

MiniBarsTM series, with 12 kg/m3 content, results increased significantly and average ultimate moment reached
3.28 kNm, which was more than in comparative beams from S1S series by 63%.
Other feature that was observed through the test was the influence of fibres addition on beams collapse mode
type. Due to analysis of MU/Mcr ratio one can observe, that in reference to beams (S1S) cracking and ultimate
moments are almost the same and it was observed brittle fracture, similarly to concrete element. In S2BF3 series
beams besides ultimate load increase we did not notice gain of the force relative after crack formation load.
Increasing the amount of BCC-25 fibres to 5 or 7 kg/m3 caused differences between ultimate and cracking moments
more prominent, up to about 10%. But still, fracture type was similar to S1S beams. For MiniBarsTM (series S3MB
beams) it is observed much higher differences between stage of appearance of the first cracks and collapse of the
beams. With 8-12 kg/m3 content we noticed 27% difference between recorded moments. Non-linear dependence can
be found between dosage and increase of moment. Beams with MiniBarsTM have more ductile mode of fracture,
closer to bending steel reinforced concrete elements. They were still able to resist additional loads after cracks
appearance.

4. Summary

The main goal of the experimental tests described in this paper was to estimate cracking and ultimate moments
in relations to type and amount of basalt fibres used. In all conducted tests positive influence of basalt fibres BCC-
25 (series S2BF) and MiniBarsTM (series S3MB) on element’s load capacity in relation to references sample (series
S1S) were observed. Destruction of S2BF series beams was similar to that observed in bending of concrete
elements, while S3MB where similar to collapse mode observed in reinforced concrete beams.
Usage of basalt fibres in pavement concrete slabs is a good practice to enhance the properties of concrete or
reinforced concrete elements. Its unique physical and chemical features, such as: resistance to alkali reactions and
resistance to unfavorable temperature effect make it better solution for many engineering problems. Basalt fibres can
be used as an additives that make concrete composite better in terms of physical and mechanical properties.
However, there is still lack of standardized and verified relations that accurately predict changes that addition of
basalt fibres would cause in specific concrete mixture.
For design purposes margin of safety should be taken into account.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Oscar Bruneby from the company ‘PEAB Sweden, and Miroslaw
Grzybowski from the company ‘PEAB Poland’ for their support.

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