Impact of twisting high-performance polyethylene fibre bundle reinforcements on the mechanical characteristics of high-strength concrete

The quasi-static and dynamic mechanical behaviours of the concrete reinforced by twisting ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre bundles with different volume fractions have been investigated. It was indicated that the improved mixing methodology and fibre geometry guaranteed the uniform distribution of fibres in concrete matrix. The UHMWPE fibres significantly enhanced the splitting tensile strength and residual compressive strength of concrete. The discussions on the key property parameters showed that the UHMWPE fibre reinforced concrete behaved tougher than the plain concrete. Owing to the more uniform distribution of fibres and higher bonding strength at fibre/matrix interface, the UHMWPE fibre with improved geometry enhanced the quasi-static splitting tensile strength and compressive strength of concrete more significantly than the other fibres. The dynamic compression tests demonstrated that the UHMWPE fibre reinforced concrete had considerable strain rate dependency. The bonding between fibres and concrete matrix contributed to the strength enhancement under low strain-rate compression.