Fracture toughness of geopolymeric concretes reinforced with basalt fibers

The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of the volumetric fraction of the fibers on the fracture toughness of geopolymeric cement concretes reinforced with basalt fibers. The values of fracture toughness, critical stress intensity factor and critical crack mouth opening displacement were measured on 18 notched beams tested by three-point bending. The a(0)/h (notch height/beam height) ratio was equal to 0.2 and the L-0/h (distance between the supports/beam height) ratio was equal to 3. According to the experimental results, geopolymeric concretes have better fracture properties than conventional Portland cement. They are also less sensitive to the presence of cracks. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.