Slurry infiltrated fiber concrete (SIFCON) was first produced in 1979 in the USA, by incorporating large amounts of steel fiber in molds to form very
dense network of fibers. The network is then infiltrated by a fine liquid
cement-based slurry or mortar. The steel fiber content can be as high as 30 %
by volume. This percentage usually does not exceed 2 % in normal fiber
reinforced concrete (FRC) for reasons related to mixing and workability. Due
to its high fiber content, SIFCON demonstrates unique and superior
mechanical properties in the areas of both strength and ductility.
Most of previous research work on SIFCON has focused mainly on
investigating the mechanical properties of this material. On the other hand,
the studies carried out in the field of durability of SIFCON are quite limited.
v
Therefore, it seemed that it would be worth to study the various durability
aspects of SIFCON.
In view of the above, the objectives of this study are to investigate and
provide information about durability of SIFCON, mainly permeability,
resistance to chloride penetration, freezing and thawing and drying shrinkage.
This information will help in providing the necessary database and
knowledge about the ability of SIFCON to withstand the conditions for
which it has been designed without deterioration, especially when it is
intended to be used in aggressive environments
The investigations included studying the effects of the following on
durability of SIFCON: (i) matrix type (slurry or mortar), (ii) fiber contents
(7%, 9.5%, and 12% by volume), and (iii) steel fiber geometry (hooked or
crimped).
The results obtained indicated that SIFCON, especially when prepared using
mortar not slurry, has shown good durability characteristics in spite of its
apparent high water absorption. The SIFCON made with the highest possible
fiber volume fractions showed the best results. However, it was concluded
that SIFCON needs to be protected with suitable low permeability overlays to
ensure ideal improved performance by protecting the steel fibers exposed on
the surfaces especially against chloride attack.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12608753/index.pdf |
| Date | 01 September 2007 |
| Creators | Gilani, Adel Mohamed |
| Contributors | Tokyay, Mustafa |
| Publisher | METU |
| Source Sets | Middle East Technical Univ. |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Ph.D. Thesis |
| Format | text/pdf |
| Rights | To liberate the content for public access |
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