Nguyễn et al. (2023) — Mechanical and Autogenous Healing Properties of High-Strength and Ultra-Ductility Engineered Geopolymer Composites Reinforced by PE-PVA Hybrid Fibers
Citation
Nguyễn, H. H., Nguyễn, P. H., Lương, Q.-H., Meng, W., & Lee, B. Y. (2023). Mechanical and autogenous healing properties of high-strength and ultra-ductility engineered geopolymer composites reinforced by PE-PVA hybrid fibers. Cement and Concrete Composites, 142, 105155.
- DOI:
10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2023.105155 - Atlas layer: core
- Related Victor Li book chapter: Chapter 4: Pseudo Strain-Hardening Criteria & Chapter 7: Alternative Reinforcing Fibers (PE-PVA Fiber Hybridization Synergies) & Chapter 9: Green ECC (Slag-Fly Ash Geopolymers, pp. 307–342)
- Source PDF:
nguyn-2023-mechanical-and-autogenous-healing-properties.pdf - Extracted text:
full_text/nguyn-2023-mechanical-and-autogenous-healing-properties_full_text.md - Source note:
source_notes/nguyn-2023-mechanical-and-autogenous-healing-properties_source_note.md
Why this paper matters
A breakthrough study from Chonnam National University and Stevens Institute of Technology developing High-Strength and Ultra-Ductility Engineered Geopolymer Composites (HSUD-EGC) using PE-PVA hybrid fibers (total $V_f = 1.50\%$), simultaneously breaking the strength-ductility trade-off by achieving 87 MPa compressive strength, 10.5 % direct tensile ductility, and significant cost savings.
Main contribution
- Develops high-strength ultra-ductile geopolymer composites (HSUD-EGC) using binary slag-fly ash precursors and hybrid PE-PVA fibers at a total volume fraction of only 1.50 %.
- Combines the high slip-hardening complementary energy of PE fibers with the high chemical bonding and cost-effectiveness of PVA fibers, eliminating the need for expensive 2.0+ vol. % mono-PE fiber systems.
- Demonstrates that high-slag mixtures (
S-PE, GGBS:FA = 5.5:4.0, PE:PVA = 1.0:0.5) achieve an outstanding compressive strength of 87.0 MPa and tensile strain capacity of 10.50 %. - Proves that high-fly ash mixtures (
F-PE, GGBS:FA = 3.0:6.5) reach 12.00 % tensile ductility with $f_c = 50.2\text{ MPa}$. - Evaluates autogenous self-healing kinetics, revealing that secondary C-(N)-A-S-H gel growth provides robust mechanical re-loading strain capacity.
Evidence summary
- Material Matrix: GGBFS + Class F Fly Ash (5.5:4.0 and 3.0:6.5 weight ratios) + 5 wt% Silica Fume, liquid sodium silicate + $\text{NaOH}$ activator ($w/b = 0.45\text{ relative to precursors}$), micro-silica sand ($S/B = 1.0$).
- Hybrid Fiber System ($V_f = 1.50\text{ vol. \%}$):
- UHMWPE ($l_f = 12\text{ mm}, d_f = 24\ \mu\text{m}, \sigma_f = 3000\text{ MPa}, E_f = 100\text{ GPa}$) at 1.0 % or 0.5 %.
- PVA ($l_f = 12\text{ mm}, d_f = 40\ \mu\text{m}, \sigma_f = 1600\text{ MPa}, E_f = 41\text{ GPa}$) at 0.5 % or 1.0 %.
- Mechanical Properties:
S-PE(Slag:FA = 5.5:4.0, PE 1.0 % + PVA 0.5 %): $f_c = \mathbf{87.0\text{ MPa}}$, $\sigma_u = \mathbf{7.2\text{ MPa}}$, $\epsilon_u = \mathbf{10.50\%}$.F-PE(Slag:FA = 3.0:6.5, PE 1.0 % + PVA 0.5 %): $f_c = 50.2\text{ MPa}$, $\sigma_u = 5.8\text{ MPa}$, $\epsilon_u = \mathbf{12.00\%}$.S-PVA(Slag:FA = 5.5:4.0, PE 0.5 % + PVA 1.0 %): $f_c = 82.5\text{ MPa}$, $\sigma_u = 6.4\text{ MPa}$, $\epsilon_u = 7.80\%$.- Cost-Effectiveness: PE-PVA hybridization reduces composite fiber material cost by 35–45 % compared to pure mono-PE systems while maintaining ultra-high ductility ($> 10\%$).
- Self-Healing Chemistry: SEM-EDS confirms that C-(N)-A-S-H gel is the predominant healing product sealing microcracks.
Linked Atlas nodes
02_concepts/strain_hardening_criteria.md04_material_systems/geopolymer_ecc.md04_material_systems/green_ecc.md04_material_systems/high_strength_ecc.md04_material_systems/pe_ecc.md04_material_systems/pva_ecc.md05_experiments/direct_tensile_test.md02_concepts/durability.md
Relationship to Victor Li book
- Extends Victor Li (2019) Chapter 4 (PSH Criteria), Chapter 7 (Fiber Hybridization), and Chapter 9 (Green High-Strength ECC).
- Validates the synergistic hybridization principle: demonstrates that combining hydrophobic slip-hardening PE fibers with hydrophilic chemical-bonding PVA fibers satisfies PSH criteria in high-strength geopolymer matrices, overcoming the brittleness of high-calcium slag gels.
Claim-evidence rows to add
| Atlas node | Claim | Evidence summary | Page/Figure/Table | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
04_material_systems/high_strength_ecc.md |
Hybrid PE-PVA (1.0:0.5 vol. %) slag-fly ash EGC achieves 87 MPa compressive strength and 10.5 % direct tensile ductility | ASTM C109 cube compression and JSCE uniaxial dogbone direct tensile testing | Section 3.1 & 3.2, Fig. 4-7, Table 2 | verified_from_pdf |
04_material_systems/pe_ecc.md |
Hybridizing PE with PVA fibers in geopolymer composites cuts fiber costs by ~40 % while maintaining tensile strain capacity $> 10\%$ | Cost-performance metric comparison and direct tensile stress-strain curves | Section 3.3, Fig. 8 & 9, Table 3 | verified_from_pdf |
Verification status
- PDF preserved: yes (
nguyn-2023-mechanical-and-autogenous-healing-properties.pdf) - Text extracted: yes (
full_text/nguyn-2023-mechanical-and-autogenous-healing-properties_full_text.md) - DOI verified: yes (
10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2023.105155) - Metadata verified: yes (Cem. Concr. Compos., Vol. 142, 105155, 2023)
- Claim-evidence matrix ready: yes
Cautions
- Slag-rich matrices accelerate setting; precise retarder or liquid activator dosing is required to maintain workability during casting.
- Increasing PVA fiber fraction beyond 1.0 vol. % in high-slag matrices increases fiber rupture risk due to excessive interfacial chemical bonding with C-A-S-H.