Performance of spalling resistance of high performance concrete with polypropylene fiber contents and lateral confinement

This paper presents an experimental study on the spalling resistance of high performance concrete with polypropylene (PP) fibers and fabric or sheet material for lateral confinement subjected to fire. According to the test results, spalling occurred on all specimens that did not contain PP fiber in the concrete mixture. However, spalling did not occur on specimens containing PP fibers above 0.05% by volume. A metal fabric showed beneficial effect on spalling resistance, but glass or carbon fiber fabrics do not show the same effect on the spalling resistance due to reduction of bond strength at high temperatures. Spalling did not occur on all specimens in which PP fibers and metal fabric were applied at the same time, and hence spalling resistance performance was significantly improved. The residual compressive strength was maintained at about 90% of its original strength, and this can be considered as an improved performance against fire damage. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.