The Coupling Effect of Silica Fume and Basalt Fibers on Workability and Residual Strength Capacities of Traditional Concrete Before and After Freeze–thaw Cycles

Abstract

The combined use of silica fume (SF) and single and hybrid-basalt (BA) fibers can be a prominent option in diminishing the degradations of concrete after freeze–thaw (F–T) effects. This study investigated slump, mass loss (ML), abrasion loss (AL), residual compressive strength (RCS), and residual splitting tensile strength (RSTS) of SF and single- and hybrid-BA fiber-reinforced concrete after F–T cycles. The results demonstrated that although using SF and BA fibers together adversely affected the workability of the mixtures, they significantly improved the samples’ RCS and RSTS capacities. Besides, after F–T cycles, SF alone and with BA fibers are very efficient in reducing the AL of the samples. However, while using SF alone was somewhat effective in reducing the ML losses of the pieces, its use with single- and hybrid-BA fibers remained negligible. Furthermore, the hybrid use of BA fibers is more efficient in recovering concrete samples' workability and AL, RCS, and RSTS capacities than the single use. Compared to room conditions, after the 180 F–T cycles, the AL of the R0 control sample increased by 29.24%, while the SF and BA fiber-added R1–R7 samples ranged from 7.11% to 10.17%. Additionally, after the 180 F–T cycles, while the RSTS capacity of R0 control concrete decreased by 27.06%, the reduction in RSTS capacity of R1–R7 BA fiber-reinforced concrete ranged from 13.42% to 23.63%. This study is expected to constitute an important reference to the literature on how SF pozzolanic admixture and BA fiber additives play a role in improving the behavior of concrete against F–T cycles. © 2023, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology.