The Effect of Industry Waste Material and Steel Fibers on the Fracture Characteristics of Self-compacting Concrete

Abstract

The work aims to examine the effects of incorporating industry waste material and steel fibers on the fracture toughness
properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC). A set of twenty-four specimens, comprising notched SCC beams with different
shapes of steel fiber, each measuring 100 × 100 × 500 mm, those beams were tested under a three-point bending test. The red
mud (RM) in this study is a by-product derived from Bayer's aluminum manufacturing industry, which was used as a partial
(20%) of ordinary Portland cement. This study investigates five different fibers distinguished by their diverse shapes and aspect
ratios. The fiber types encompassed in this study consist of the hook-end fiber, characterized by lengths of 60 and 30 mm, the
straight fiber, characterized by lengths of 21 and 13 mm, and the flat-end fiber with lengths of 50 mm. The study investigates
six distinct concrete combinations, all of which contain fibers constituting 1% of the total volume. An additional aim of the
research is to examine the mechanical and fresh properties of concrete. The results demonstrate that the use of steel fiber
negatively impacts the fresh concrete properties of SCC. The inclusion of steel fiber in a material leads to improved
mechanical characteristics and fracture toughness in SCC. An increase was recorded in the peak loads, deflection at the point
of failure, and crack mouth opening displacement.