Experimental Study on the Compressive Behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Ceramsite Concrete

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Civil Engineering
• Sustainable Construction

Background:

• Ceramsite concrete offers green building advantages like light weight and insulation.
• Existing limitations include low strength, high brittleness, and aggregate floating issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the mechanical properties of ceramsite concrete through polypropylene fiber addition and process optimization.
• To investigate the impact of fiber content on ceramsite concrete's stress-strain behavior and failure characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Conducted uniaxial compressive tests on 54 ceramsite concrete specimens across six groups and three strength grades.
• Analyzed failure characteristics and stress-strain relationships, evaluating peak stress, peak strain, ultimate strain, and elastic modulus.
• Developed a piecewise correction model for the stress-strain curve of fiber-reinforced ceramsite concrete.

Main Results:

• Polypropylene fibers significantly improved ceramsite concrete's strength, deformation performance, and ductility, while reducing brittleness.
• Peak stress increased by 8.98% at 0.05% fiber content; peak and ultimate strains increased by 21.3% and 25.2% respectively at 0.075% fiber content.
• The proposed piecewise correction model demonstrated a good fit with experimental data.

Conclusions:

• Optimized ceramsite concrete with polypropylene fibers shows enhanced mechanical properties, making it suitable for engineering applications.
• The study provides a validated theoretical model for fiber-reinforced ceramsite concrete, supporting its wider adoption in construction.