Flexural strength of fibre reinforced concrete under elevated temperature

Abstract

The study observes and examines the effects of elevated temperature on the fibre reinforced concrete’s ability to withstand flexure loading. The fibres used are steel, synthetic and kenaf fibre. Addition of fibres into reinforced concrete may increase the ductility and cracking resistance. To explore the effects of elevated temperature, a furnace was used to heat the prepared specimens to 400°C, 600°C and 800°C. Steel fibre reinforced concrete was found to maintain some amount of flexure capacity even at 800°C, due to the high melting point, 1300°C, of the steel fibres. However, not all properties of concrete may improve with the addition of fibres. High temperature that may be due to structure usage or accidents is a concern that has to be considered when choosing the right material for reinforcing the concrete matrix. By understanding the effects of elevated temperature on the various types of fibre reinforced concrete, a better choice of fibres can be made for different structural usage.