Estimation of Mechanical and Durability Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete with Fibers Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity

Abstract

This study addressed the efficiency of ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) as a nondestructive test in concrete in estimating the mechanical (compressive and tensile strength) and durability (water absorption) properties of fiber-reinforced self-compacting concrete. To do so, 11 mixture designs containing 3 fiber types (steel: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 percent by volume, Poly-phenylene Sulfide (PPS): 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4% by volume and poly-propylene: 0.1 and 0.2 percent by volume) and a design without fibers as reference concrete have been tested and compared. To measure ultrasonic pulse velocity, cubic specimens were tested. The obtained results were used to develop correlation relationships between UPV of the specimens and the compressive and tensile strength as well as water absorption. For the self-compacting concrete in this study, the range of pulse velocity was obtained. The proposed relations accurately estimate the mechanical and durability properties of this concrete type.