Fibrous Ferrocement Composite with PVC-coated Weld Mesh and Bar-chip Polyolefin Fibers

Abstract

This research is on Fiber Reinforced Ferrocement (FRF) composites using a new combination of two non-corrosive reinforcing materials, namely the PVC-coated steel weld mesh and synthetic barchip (polyolefin) fibers. A low-velocity impact study was conducted on 250 mm square fibrous ferrocement slab elements of 25 mm thick reinforced with PVC-coated weld mesh (III to V layers) and barchip olefin fibers (0.5%-2.5% of volume of specimens). The energy absorbed by the FRF slabs was found to be higher than that of plain ferrocement slabs (cast with PVC mesh only). The impact energy increases with increase in the number of mesh layers, and also increases with increase in percentage of barchip fibers from 0.5% to 2.5%. The initial and final crack-width reduce on increasing the proportion of polyolefin fibers in FRF slabs.