Choi et al. (2016) — Composite Properties of PE Fiber-Reinforced Cement and AAS Composites
Citation
Jeong-Il Choi, Keum-Il Song, Jin-Kyu Song, Bang Yeon Lee (2016). Composite properties of high-strength polyethylene fiber-reinforced cement and cementless composites. Composite Structures, 138, 116–121.
- DOI:
10.1016/j.compstruct.2015.11.046 - Atlas layer: extension
- Related Victor Li book chapter: Chapter 4: Micromechanics-Based Material Design (also Chapter 9: Green ECC)
- Source PDF:
primary_data/choi-2016-composite-properties-of-high-strength-polyethylene.pdfprimary_data/IJP02316E_Composite properties of high-strength_COST.pdf` - Extracted text:
secondary_data/full_texts/choi-2016-composite-properties-of-high-strength-polyethylene_full_text.mdsecondary_data/full_texts/IJP02316E_Composite properties of high-strength_COST_full_text.md` - Source note:
secondary_data/source_notes/choi-2016-composite-properties-of-high-strength-polyethylene_source_note.mdsecondary_data/source_notes/IJP02316E_Composite properties of high-strength_COST_source_note.md`
Why this paper matters
Provides a direct experimental benchmark comparing high-strength PE fiber reinforcement (1.75 vol. %) in Portland cement versus 100 % cementless alkali-activated slag (AAS) paste matrices, demonstrating superior strain capacity (up to 5.92 %) and tighter crack widths ($77.4\ \mu\text{m}$) in the cementless system.
Main contribution
- Ductile Cementless PE Composite: Proved that high-strength PE fibers ($\sigma_{fu} = 3030\text{ MPa}$, $E_f = 112\text{ GPa}$) achieve tensile strain capacity exceeding 5.3 % (up to 5.92 %) and tensile strength of $5.96 \sim 7.89\text{ MPa}$ in zero-cement AAS paste.
- Enhanced Multiple Cracking in AAS: Confirmed that AAS matrices exhibit higher $\sigma_{tu}/f_{tc}$ ratios (average 3.15 vs 2.62 in OPC), producing 78.7 % more micro-cracks (average 58.1 cracks) and 45.6 % narrower crack spacing (1.41 mm).
- Crack Width Control for Durability: Demonstrated that AAS-PE composites achieve smaller average crack widths ($77.4\ \mu\text{m}$, 27.1 % lower than OPC's $106.1\ \mu\text{m}$), favorable for limiting transport properties.
Evidence summary
- Direct Tensile Response (Table 6, Page 119):
- S34 (AAS, $w/b = 0.34$): First crack $2.64 \pm 0.26\text{ MPa}$, Ultimate strength $7.89 \pm 0.91\text{ MPa}$, Strain capacity $5.32 \pm 0.72\text{ \%}$.
- S38 (AAS, $w/b = 0.38$): First crack $1.80 \pm 0.46\text{ MPa}$, Ultimate strength $5.96 \pm 0.87\text{ MPa}$, Strain capacity $5.92 \pm 0.63\text{ \%}$.
- C34 (OPC, $w/b = 0.34$): First crack $3.97 \pm 0.71\text{ MPa}$, Ultimate strength $9.80 \pm 0.85\text{ MPa}$, Strain capacity $4.88 \pm 0.78\text{ \%}$.
- C38 (OPC, $w/b = 0.38$): First crack $3.43 \pm 0.54\text{ MPa}$, Ultimate strength $9.53 \pm 0.71\text{ MPa}$, Strain capacity $3.91 \pm 0.58\text{ \%}$.
- Compressive Strength (Table 5, Page 118):
- C34 ($75.9\text{ MPa}$), C38 ($60.8\text{ MPa}$), S34 ($43.0\text{ MPa}$), S38 ($31.3\text{ MPa}$).
- Cracking Patterns (Table 7, Page 120):
- Crack width: $74.5\ \mu\text{m}$ (S34), $80.2\ \mu\text{m}$ (S38) vs $113.1\ \mu\text{m}$ (C34), $99.1\ \mu\text{m}$ (C38).
- Crack count: $57.1$ (S34), $59.0$ (S38) vs $34.5$ (C34), $30.5$ (C38).
Linked Atlas nodes
04_material_systems/green_ecc.md02_concepts/strain_hardening_criteria.md02_concepts/fiber_bridging_law.md05_experiments/direct_tensile_test.md05_experiments/crack_width_distribution.md03_durability/transport_properties.md
Relationship to Victor Li book
- Primary book anchor remains Victor Li (2019), Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC).
- Extends Chapter 4 (Micromechanics) and Chapter 9 (Green ECC) by verifying that zero-cement AAS matrices combined with hydrophobic PE fibers exhibit higher tensile strain capacity than standard OPC systems through a larger PSH stress margin ($\sigma_{tu}/f_{tc}$).
Claim-evidence rows to add
| Atlas node | Claim | Evidence summary | Page/Figure/Table | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
04_material_systems/green_ecc.md |
Alkali-activated GGBS PE composites achieve tensile strain capacity up to 5.92 % and tensile strength up to 7.89 MPa without Portland cement | S34 and S38 exhibited average strain capacity of 5.62 % and tensile strength up to 7.89 MPa | Page 116 & 119 / Table 6 / Fig. 2 | verified_from_pdf |
02_concepts/strain_hardening_criteria.md |
AAS-based composites exhibit higher $\sigma_{tu}/f_{tc}$ ratios (average 3.15) than cement-based composites (average 2.62), resulting in 78.7 % more micro-cracks | $\sigma_{tu}/f_{tc} = 3.15$ in AAS vs 2.62 in OPC, generating 58.1 average cracks vs 32.5 in OPC | Page 120 / Table 6 & Table 7 | verified_from_pdf |
05_experiments/crack_width_distribution.md |
PE fiber-reinforced AAS composites develop narrower average crack widths (77.4 $\mu\text{m}$) and tighter crack spacing (1.41 mm) than cement-based composites | AAS average crack width was $77.4\ \mu\text{m}$ (27.1 % lower than OPC $106.1\ \mu\text{m}$) and spacing was 1.41 mm (45.6 % narrower) | Page 120 / Table 7 / Fig. 3 | verified_from_pdf |
04_material_systems/green_ecc.md |
AAS composites attain higher tensile-to-compressive strength ratios (average 18.7 %) compared to cement-based composites (14.3 %) | Tensile/compressive ratio reached 18.3 % (S34) and 19.1 % (S38), nearly double normal concrete | Page 119 & 121 / Table 5 & Table 6 | verified_from_pdf |
Verification status
- PDF preserved: yes (in
primary_data/IJP02316E_Composite properties of high-strength_COST.pdf) - Text extracted: yes (6 pages extracted)
- DOI verified: yes (
10.1016/j.compstruct.2015.11.046) - Page/figure/table verified: yes (all checked against PDF text)
- Claim-evidence matrix ready: yes
Cautions
- Paste-based composite without fine aggregate; matrix fracture toughness ($K_m$) is lower than sand-bearing ECC mortar.
- Compressive strength of AAS matrix ($31.3 \sim 43.0\text{ MPa}$) is lower than OPC ($60.8 \sim 75.9\text{ MPa}$).