Influence of steel fiber addition on the vibrational characteristic of high strength cementitious composites

Abstract

Structural materials and their properties in different applications with next-generation composite production techniques are quite promising areas. In this study, new composite blocks were produced with the addition of industrial and recycled steel fibers to high strength cementitious composites (HSCCs). The vibrational damping capabilities of the blocks produced in standard dimensions (16 cm × 4 cm × 4 cm) were tested by using the modal analysis method. In many different applications, structural materials are expected to absorb vibrations such as earthquakes or artificial vibrations from machine systems operating in industrial areas. In this study, the vibration damping capability of HSCCs was investigated and improved by adding steel fiber to HSCCs. The experimental study shows that adding steel fibers improves the bending stress by up to 127% and damping ratio over 200%. The fiber size and distribution play a significant role in this improvement. This effect was also achieved to a certain extent in the samples produced using recycled steel fibers obtained from waste tires. In this way, the vibration damping ability of the HSCCs is increased with an environmentally friendly approach.