Effect of basalt fibers on fracture energy and mechanical properties of HSC

Fracture energy is one of the key parameters reveal cracking resistance and fracture toughness of concrete. The main purpose of this study is to determine fracture behavior, mechanical properties and microstructural analysis of high strength basalt fiber reinforced concrete (HSFRC). For this purpose, three-point bending tests were performed on notched beams produced using HSFRCs with 12 mm and 24mm fiber length and 1, 2 and $3kg/m^3$ fiber content in order to determine the value of fracture energy. Fracture energies of the notched beam specimens were calculated by analyzing load versus crack mouth opining displacement curves by the help of RILEM proposal. The results show that the effects of basalt fiber content and fiber length on fracture energy are very significant. The splitting tensile and flexural strength of HSFRC increased with increasing fiber content whereas a slight drop in flexural strength was observed for the mixture with 24mm fiber length and $3kg/m^3$ fiber content. On the other hand, there was no significant effect of fiber addition on the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of the mixtures. In addition, microstructural analysis of the three components; cement paste, aggregate and basalt fiber were performed based on the Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy examinations.