Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203

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Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Chemical durability and performance of modified basalt fiber in concrete

medium
Mahzabin Afroz ⇑, Indubhushan Patnaikuni, Srikanth Venkatesan
School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

h i g h l i g h t s

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the chemical durability of modified and non-modified basalt fibers.

Mechanical performance of modified basalt fiber reinforced HVFA and OPC concrete was also investigated.

Modified fiber confirms better properties compared to non-modified based on physicochemical analysis.

Modified fiber can significantly enhance the indirect tensile and flexural strength of HVFA concrete even after 56 days.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Due to the concern about mechanical properties, thermal resistance, ecological friendliness and chemical
Received 13 January 2017 resistance, basalt fibers have become intriguing now a days for infrastructural and civil engineering appli-
Received in revised form 18 July 2017 cations. In the present work, chemical durability of modified and non-modified basalt fibers is studied.
Accepted 19 July 2017
The fibers were immersed into twelve solutions for 62 days considering the concrete medium. The failure
Available online 3 August 2017
pattern and damage features of the fibers were sorted with the observation of surface by scanning elec-
tron microscope (SEM) and their compositions were identified using energy dispersive X-ray spec-
Keywords:
troscopy (EDX). Long term mass retention capacity was also summarized. Efforts were also made to
Basalt fiber
Surface coating agent
determine the strength maintenance rate of modified fibers in high performance ordinary portland
Mass retention cement (OPC) and high volume fly Ash (HVFA) concrete. The result revealed that the modified fiber exhi-
Physiochemical analysis bits superior properties compared to the non-modified fibers based on morphological and chemical anal-
High volume fly ash ysis. Mechanical test results also showed that the modified basalt fiber can significantly improve the
Mechanical properties indirect tensile and flexural properties of HVFA concrete even after 56 days.
Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction linked molecule with primary bonds [7,8]. Basalt fibers are chem-
ically composed of pyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine and plagio-
Basalt fibers show several advantages including modulus of clase minerals [9]. Basalt materials are classified according to
elasticity, specific strength and nontoxic [1], low cost [2], non- their SiO2 content. If the basalt has scarcity in silica, it is catego-
combustible [3] and high thermal insulating properties [4]. It has rized as alkaline basalt. Further, if the basalt is rich in silica, it is
the feature of wider application temperature range of 270 °C to called acidic basalt [7,9]. Compared to the other natural fibers
+750 °C [5,6]. The chemical and mechanical properties depend on (Table 1), it has excellent mechanical properties; lightweight,
the composition of the raw material. Different fiber composition easily affordable and ecofriendly makes it an ideal material for civil
and concentration give difference in thermal and chemical stability engineering application. The addition of basalt fibers can improve
and also showed variance in mechanical and physical properties the deformation and energy absorption capacity, toughness index,
[4]. flexural strength, abrasion resistance and reduce dry shrinkage of
Chemical structure of basalt fiber is nearly related to glass. The fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) significantly [10–13]. SEM images
most important components of basalt fibers are SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, of microstructure have shown a good bond between basalt fiber
MgO, Fe2O3 and FeO. The different oxides compose a large cross surface and hydrated cement matrix which is obtained in the early
age, whereas a debonding phenomenon between cement matrix
⇑ Corresponding author. and basalt fiber is observed at 28 days [14].
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M. Afroz), patnaikuni@rmit.
edu.au (I. Patnaikuni), [email protected] (S. Venkatesan).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.07.153
0950-0618/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
192 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203

Table 1
Mechanical properties of some natural fibers [2,15].

Fiber Density Tensile strength Elastic modulus Elongation at break

(gm/cm3) (GPa) (GPa) (%)
E-glass 2.56 1.4–2.5 76 1.8–3.2
Carbon 1.4 4.0 230–240 1.4–1.8
Basalt 2.8 2.8 89 3.15
Jute 1.3 0.3–0.7 26.5 1.5–1.8
Flax 1.5 0.5–1.5 27.6 2.7–3.2

There is a prevalent literature on the manufacture and uses of Table 2

basalt fibers, but little attempt have been made to use basalt fibers Chemical components of two different basalt fibers (supplied).

in concrete environment for long term specific applications. At Component Content (% wt)
early age, however it appeared that basalt has an excellent imper- Group A Group B
viousness to alkaline attack both at room and at elevated temper-
SiO2 54.5–55.5 48–60
atures [16]. However it was stated by Wang et al. that basalt has MgO 4.0–4.6 3–6
better acid resistance than alkaline solutions [17]. Moreover, basalt CaO 7.5–8.5 5–9
fiber has strong resistance to corrosion in ocean water and espe- Fe2O3 + FeO 10.0–11.5 9–14
cially in tap water solutions [18]. In alkaline solutions, the hydro- Al2O3 16.5–18 14–19
TiO2 0.9–1.25 0.5–2.5
xyl ions react with Si–O–Si group which leads to the breakdown
R2O 4–5 –
of silicon linkage. The rate of this corrosion depends on the chem- Li2O 0.1–0.3 –
ical composition of the fiber and the alkalinity of the solution as Na2O + K2O – 3–6
well as on time and temperature [19]. In saturated Ca(OH)2 solu- Others – 0.09–0.13
tion, while basalt fiber shows very low weight loss and high stabil-
ity however may reduce 60% strength after 3 months of immersion
of fibers [20,21]. Studies also indicate basalt fibers instability fol- Table 3
lowing 28 days in concrete medium [22,23]. The basalt fibers lost Physical properties and chemical compositions of cementitious materials.

80% strength at 28 days if it was immersed in a 1 M NaOH solution Properties OPC Fly ash
[24]. However, studies are also available by using different surface Physical properties
coating agents in basalt fibers [25–27] but particularly in concrete, Specific gravity 3.16 2.35
it is not adequate. Chemical analysis
From the available literature, it appears that the investigation SiO2 19.9 49.45
on chemical stability of basalt fibers in alkaline as well as in chlo- Al2O3 4.62 29.61
ride and sulphate medium is not sufficient, which generally hap- Fe2O3 3.97 10.72
CaO 64.27 3.47
pens in building and construction involving concrete material. In
MgO 1.73 1.3
most cases, the approaches were on short term basis and are inad- K2O 0.57 0.54
equate to explain the long term variance of modified and non- Na2O 0.15 0.31
modified fibers. The objective of this study consists of investigating TiO2 0.23 1.76
the capacity of two types of commercially available basalt fibers to P2O5 – 0.53
Mn2O3 0.06 0.17
retain in alkaline medium and the effect of pH and long term SO3 2.56 0.27
(62 days) mass retention at room temperature. Moreover, physico- S2 – 0.21
chemical characterization of basalt fibers is investigated before and Cl – 0.001
after the immersion in alkaline using SEM and EDX analysis. Efforts
are also being made on the development of high performance
HVFA concrete with modified basalt fiber for compressive, indirect Coarse aggregate with a maximum particle size of 10 mm with 1.1% water
tensile and flexural strength. For comparison, high performance absorption and relative specific gravity of 2.99 at saturated surface dry (SSD) con-
dition was used. River sand with specific gravity 2.65 was used as fine aggregate
OPC was also used.
in this research project. HVFA concrete was prepared by 40% fly ash as partial
replacement of cement. Poly-naphthalene based high range water reducer agent
with the commercial name of Sikament NN supplied from SIKA, Australia was used
to adjust the workability of the concrete mixtures. The water reducer had a specific
2. Materials gravity of 1.21 and a solid contents of 40%. After several trials, mix proportions were
selected (Table 4) taking into account slump value 15–20 cm. Considering previous
Two different types of basalt fibers were used in this experiment. One was sup- study, volume fraction of basalt fiber was selected as 0.5% [30].
plied by Kamenny Vek Ltd, Dubna, Moscow, Russia (Group A) and the other one was
imported from Jiuxin basalt fiber industry Co. Ltd, Jilin Province, China (Group B).
Group A fiber was modified by silane (SiH4) surface coating agent. The organofunc-
tional group of silane is epoxy functional. The nominal length and thickness of Rus-
sian fibers were 25 mm and about 15 mm respectively. Chinese fibers have 3 mm 3. Methodology
nominal length and similar thickness as Russian fibers. Chemical compositions of
both fibers are shown in Table 2.
Concrete is alkaline because of the portland cement hydration
Fibers were investigated under various chemical solutions considering concrete
medium. Twelve solutions were prepared using NaOH, NaCl, Na2SO4, Ca(OH)2, CaCl2 product calcium hydroxide. Besides, the common deterioration of
and CaSO4. Chemical solutions were prepared in view of three different conditions concrete emerges due to the attack of chloride and sulphate ions
of alkaline, chloride and sulphate medium. Mixtures of these ions were also consid- from ocean, de-icing salts, soil and groundwater. In this project,
ered to explore the combined effects. strong base 1 M NaOH and 1 M Ca(OH)2 solutions were applied
The cement was ordinary portland cement (OPC) which corresponds to the Aus-
tralian Standard AS 3972 type GP [28]. The fly ash was class F fly ash according to AS
to represent the contamination of alkaline ion. Therefore, 3% NaCl
3582.1–1998 [29]. The physical properties and chemical analysis of cement and fly and CaCl2 and 10% Na2SO4 and CaSO4 solutions were prepared to
ash are given in Table 3. determine the effect of chloride and sulphate ions.
 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203 193

Table 4
Mix proportions of fiber composites.

Mix Fiber (%) Mix Proportions

BF Cement Fly ash Water Sand CA WR
(%) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (l/m3)
C-OPC – 450 – 164 502 1255 11.2
BF-OPC 0.5 450 – 164 502 1255 11.2
C-FA – 270 180 164 502 1255 11.2
BF-FA 0.5 270 180 164 502 1255 11.2

Note: CA = Coarse Aggregate; WR = Water Reducer; C = Without fiber; BF = With fiber.

Fig. 1. Immersion of basalt fibers in twelve chemical solutions.

Fig. 3. Indirect tensile strength test.

Fig. 2. Compressive strength test.

Fig. 4. Flexural strength test.

3.1. Mass retention test

m0 = Dry mass before immersion (g)
Chemicals were measured based on designed concentration; for m = Dry mass after immersion (g)
example, to make a 1 M NaOH solution, 20 g NaOH needed to be
dissolved in 500 g distilled water. Again, 15 g NaCl is required for
preparing 500 ml 3% NaCl solution. Fibers were washed and oven
3.2. Physicochemical analysis
dried before taking the initial mass. For every group, basalt fibers
(45 g) were immersed into twelve solutions in twelve glass con-
Photomicrography of the exterior surface of basalt fiber was
tainers (Fig. 1). Each series were labelled with the immersing solu-
obtained by using FEI Quanta 200 ESEM. SEM test was performed
tions. After the designed time of immersion phases, basalt fibers
in the RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility. Samples were
were washed with distilled water and dried in oven at 105 °C for
coated with a thin gold film in order to avoid the influence of
24 h. Temperature and pH of solutions were measured and weight
charging effect during the SEM operation. SEM was also used to
of basalt fiber was taken after it has dried. The procedure was
determine the diameter and shape of basalt fiber. The physical
repeated for 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 and 62 days.
properties were also observed and recorded for further analysis
The mass retention was calculated by using following equation.
by using computerizes data acquisition system.
 
m0  m SEM analysis of dried basalt fibers was carried out equipped
Mass retention ð%Þ ¼ 1   100 with an EDX analysis system. Data were processed with AZtec
m0
Energy software. EDX was used to determine spectrum of basalt
where, fiber before and after immersion in 1 M NaOH and 1 M Ca(OH)2
194 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203

Table 5
Statistical parameter of density.

Fiber group Density of control specimen Density after chemical treatment (mean) Standard deviation Coefficient of variation
(g/cm3) (g/cm3) (SD) (COV, %)
Group A 2.498 2.37467 0.14778 6.21
Group B 1.622 2.16508 0.47862 22.1

Table 6
pH of Group A and B in different solutions.

Solution Nos. Chemical solutions Group A Group B

Initial pH Final pH Initial pH Final pH
I NaOH 12.95 13.41 13.56 13.46
II NaCl 7.02 8.08 7.02 7.89
III Na2SO4 7.02 7.49 7.02 8.14
IV NaOH + NaCl 12.84 13.28 13.35 13.28
V NaOH + Na2SO4 12.92 13.56 13.44 13.34
VI NaOH + NaCl + Na2SO4 12.76 13.36 13.27 13.17
VII Ca(OH)2 12.22 12.62 12.76 12.51
VIII CaCl2 7.02 8.38 7.02 7.27
IX CaSO4 7.01 8.43 7.02 7.92
X Ca(OH)2 + CaCl2 11.83 13.00 12.30 11.98
XI Ca(OH)2 + CaSO4 12.09 12.57 12.71 12.59
XII Ca(OH)2 + CaCl2 + CaSO4 11.93 12.12 12.39 11.50

(I) (II) (III)

(IV) (V) (VI)

(VII) (VIII) (IX)

(X) (XI) (XII)

Fig. 5. Group A basalt fiber after 62 days treatment (Table 6 is referred for solution Nos.).
 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203 195

(I) (II) (III)

(IV) (V) (VI)

(VII) (VIII) (IX)

(X) (XI) (XII)

Fig. 6. Group B basalt fiber after 62 days treatment (Table 6 is referred for solution Nos.).

(a) Group A Fibers

Fig. 7. After 62 days treatment with Ca(OH)2 solution (Group B).

solutions. Quantitative analysis was also carried out to identify the

changes of chemical components.

3.3. Mechanical properties testing procedure

In this stage, a total forty-eight number of 100  200 mm and (b) Group B Fibers
150  300 mm cylinders were cast to determine compressive and
indirect tensile strength of concrete according to the AS Fig. 8. Basalt fibers.
196 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203

1012.8.1–2014 [31], AS 1012.9–2014 [32] and As 1012.10–1985 4.2. pH measurement

[33]. Simultaneously 350  100  100 mm prismatic concrete
beams were cast and tested according to AS 1012.8.2–2000 [34] All pH values were measured at room temperature. After
and AS 1012.11–1985 [35] respectively. Forty-two concrete beams immersing fibers, initial pH value was taken and final value was
were cast to determine the flexural strength in different ages. Spec- determined after 62 days. Results are presented in Table 6.
imens were cured for 7, 14, 28 and 56 days. MTS testing machine Group B fibers show decreased final pH for all alkaline solutions
with a capacity of 100 tonnes was used for testing. All the data than initial pH value. However, pH value increases for salt and
were recorded on to a computer connected through an electric dig- Group A solutions conversely. Usually, when alkaline solution is
ital controller system. All tests were conducted in accordance with mixed with basalt fiber, a corrosion layer is formed on the surface
Australian Standards (Figs. 2–4). of the fiber. Hydroxyl ion attacks the silica network directly and
the hydroxide ions of the alkali break the Si–O–Si linkage [36]:


½Si—O—Si— þ OH ! ½Si—OH þ ½ SiO  ð1Þ
4. Results and discussions
Thus reduces the concentration of hydroxyl ion in solutions and
4.1. Density decreases final pH value. Group B fibers illustrate the general pat-
tern of deterioration in alkaline medium. For Group A, silane coat-
The density of basalt fibers were measured through water pyc- ing confines the swelling of the fiber by creating a crosslinked
nometer technique following 62 days submerging in twelve solu- network [37]. For Group A solutions, OH ion slowly diffusion with
tions with balance equipment with 0.005 g sensitivity. The the existing silane coating and decrease the amount of breakdown.
averages of twelve samples from each group were determined that Alkali solution also leads to a decrease of sodium, potassium, alu-
are shown in Table 5. The result shows substantial variation in minium and silicon (Na+, K+, Al3+, Si+) on the surface of all basalt
Group B. This was due to the increased density in alkaline fibers [38]. Furthermore, –Si–O– structure is inert to salt but in
solutions. contacting with water, some alkaline ions enter into the internal

(I) (II) (III)

(IV) (V) (VI)

(VII) (VIII) (IX)

(X) (XI) (XII)

Fig. 9. SEM images of the effect of immersions in different chemicals on Group A basalt fibers (Table 6 is referred for solution number).
 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203 197

structure of fiber [39]. Due to these phenomena, hydroxyl ion of fibers treated with NaOH and Ca(OH)2 and their combination with
solution was increased for basalt fiber in Group A and salt chloride and sulphate ions. Initially, fibers lost their original tex-
solutions. ture and create fiber ball by sticking together after soaking in
hydroxyl ions. After 62 days treatment in high alkali medium, if
the fibers separated from the sticky ball, they split into many
4.3. Surface appearance strands and some of them became powder (Fig. 7).

4.3.1. Physical appearance analysis 4.3.2. Morphology analysis

The following observations are prepared based on the visual In order to get an idea of the microscopic structure and to esti-
analysis. A great difference was found in between two groups fea- mate the deterioration mechanisms, the surface of basalt fiber was
ture. Physical appearances of Group A are shown in Fig. 5. analysed by SEM. The physical and SEM images of reference sam-
From the observation, physical properties of basalt fibers were ples are shown in Fig. 8. The effect of chemical solution on Group
unaffected after 62 days for NaOH, NaCl, Na2SO4 and their com- A and Group B are shown in Figs. 9 and 10 respectively.
bined solutions. The CaCl2 and CaSO4 solution also showed similar Hydrolysable alkoxy group of silane with moisture leads to the
effects for the basalt fibers. On the other hand, comparatively formation of silanols and the silanol then reacts with the hydroxyl
higher damage was observed in the fiber treated with Ca(OH)2 group of the fiber to form constant covalent bonds that are chemi-
and the combination of Ca(OH)2 with CaCl2 and CaSO4. The fibers sorbed onto the fiber surface [37]. Hence, the hydrocarbon chains
lost their original texture and some of them split into many generated by the application of silane confine the swelling of the
strands. It could be seen that concentrated NaOH cannot damage fiber by creating a crosslinked network. The reaction is as follows
the fiber structure but concentrated Ca(OH)2 shows a rough and [37].
damaged surface.
CH2 CHSiðOC2 H5 Þ3 ! CH2 CHSiðOHÞ3 þ 3C2 H5 OH ð2Þ
The effects of different solution treatment for Group B fibers are
shown in Fig. 6. Salt solutions show undamaged texture after full
CH2 CHSiðOHÞ3 þ H2 O þ fiber-OH ! CH2 CHSiðOHÞ2 O-fiber ð3Þ
treatment of fibers. Surface damage was mainly detected in the

(I) (II) (III)

(IV) (V) (VI)

(VII) (VIII) (IX)

(X) (XI) (XII)

Fig. 10. SEM images of the effect of immersions in different chemicals on Group B basalt fiber (Table 6 is referred for solution number).
198 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203

Hydrocarbon network linkage with fiber exhibit increased can be seen that the affinity of silica results from the ability of the
interfacial bond even in strong alkaline solution. At room temper- large cations to lose their water of hydration and form polar bonds
ature, base is not strong enough to deprotonate the molecules as it with the structural oxygen of silica [40]. Among Na+ and Ca2+
decreases the reaction rate with hydroxyl ion. This is the reason in cations, deterioration is greater for the larger, less hydrated cations
the solid state where NaOH and cross linked network of silane and Ca2+ than for the smaller ions Na+. However, in case of dense and
fiber cannot be fused together at room temperature. From Fig. 9(I), homogeneous coating, pores can only be present at outer part [41].
(IV), (V) and (VI), it can be seen that surface of basalt fiber is From the Fig. 10(I), (IV), (V) and (VI), it can be seen that surface
slightly rough. The surface of Group A fiber may slow down the dif- of basalt fiber not only have cavity but also crack. Fig. 10(VII), (X),
fusion of OH ions. On the other hand, Fig. 9(VII), (X), (XI) and (XII), (XI) and (XII) also show the irregular damaged surface. This mainly
it appears that surface roughness increase with the presence of weakens the original lattice bonds by forming weak hydroxyl ion
cavities which very likely play a major role in the intra particle dif- bonds with silicon atoms on the surface.
fusion and degradation. In a typical OH adsorption experiment, it

Fig. 11. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses of Group A fiber (a-Before treatment; b-After 62 days 1 M NaOH treatment; c-After 62 Days 1 M Ca(OH)2 treatment).
 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203 199

Fig. 12. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses of Group B fiber (a-Before treatment; b-After 62 days 1 M NaOH treatment; c-After 62 Days 1 M Ca(OH)2 treatment).

4.3.3. Energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDX) According to the analysis, the basic exchangeable cations of
To highlight the mechanism of ion exchange, EDX analyses were fibers are Si, Ca, Fe, Al, Mg, Ti ions. While it can be inferred the
carried out before and after effect in NaOH and Ca(OH)2 solutions importance of cations, especially the peaks of Si, Al, Fe and Ca ions.
following 62 days by comparing the peaks intensity of exchange- More details of the chemical composition of the fibers are pre-
able ions. The respective EDX micrographs are presented in Figs. 11 sented in Table 7. The concentration of the basic elements like sil-
and 12. icon and aluminium is decreased. In contrast, the intensities of iron
200 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203

Table 7
EDX analysis of fiber surface composition (wt%).

Component Group A Group B

Control NaOH Ca(OH)2 Control NaOH Ca(OH)2
Si 26.51 26.18 8.71 26.36 23.73 24.88
O 45.74 45.20 31.59 45.28 43.58 44.95
Al 9.65 9.16 3.92 8.04 7.66 7.78
Fe 6.47 8.44 39.67 8.32 10.79 9.07
Ca 5.32 6.02 10.63 5.79 7.15 6.27
Mg 2.47 1.90 0.96 3.29 3.23 4.11
K 1.33 1.23 1.76 0.57 0.51 0.56
Na 1.86 1.06 0.81 1.41 2.15 2.57
Ti 0.64 0.81 1.94 0.95 1.21 0.85

110 1M NaOH

3% NaCl

100 10% Na2SO4

1M NaOH + 3% NaCl
Mass Retention (%)

90
1M NaOH + 10% Na2SO4

1M NaOH + 3% NaCl + 10%

80
Na2SO4
1M Ca(OH)2

70 3% CaCl2

10% CaSO4
60
1M Ca(OH)2 + 3% CaCl2

1M Ca(OH)2 + 10% CaSO4

50
0 20 40 60 80
1M Ca(OH)2 + 3% CaCl2 + 10%
Immersion Period (Days) CaSO4

Fig. 13. Mass retention of different treatment conditions of Group A.

105 1M NaOH

3% NaCl

100 10% Na2SO4

1M NaOH + 3% NaCl
Mass Retention (%)

95 1M NaOH + 10% Na2SO4

1M NaOH + 3% NaCl + 10%

Na2SO4
90 1M Ca(OH)2

3% CaCl2

10% CaSO4
85
1M Ca(OH)2 + 3% CaCl2

1M Ca(OH)2 + 10% CaSO4

80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 1M Ca(OH)2 + 3% CaCl2 +
Immersion Period (Days) 10% CaSO4

Fig. 14. Mass retention of different treatment conditions of Group B.

and calcium increase for these fibers. It becomes apparent by SEM concentration of silicon and aluminium in comparison with those
analysis that fiber in alkaline is composed of two layers, i.e., corro- for as supplied basalt fiber. The high iron concentration on the sur-
sion layer and core material. face can be in favor of the fact that the internal corrosion layer is
Modified basalt fiber in Ca(OH)2 solution, presents small pores composed of iron oxy-hydroxides, and/or iron hydroxocarbonates.
where corrosion product iron accumulates Fig. 11(c). The results Crystallization of iron oxy-hydroxides takes place in strong alkali
indicate high-level concentration of calcium and iron and reduced media [25,42].
 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203 201

Compressive Strength (MPa)

75 65

Compressive Strength (MPa)

70 60

65 55

60 50

55 45
Control Control
50 BFRC 40 BFRC
45 35
0 10 20 30 0 20 40 60
Age (Days) Age (Days)

(a) OPC Concrete (b) Fly ash Concrete

Fig. 15. Compressive strength development.

5.5 6

Indirect Tensile Strength

Indirect Tensile Strength

5 5.5

(MPa)
4.5
(MPa)

4.5
4 Control Control
4
3.5 BFRC 3.5 BFRC

3 3
0 20 40 60 0 20 40 60
Age (Days) Age (Days)

(a) OPC Concrete (b) Fly ash Concrete

Fig. 16. Indirect tensile strength development.

4.4. Mass retention

12
In order to evaluate the chemical durability, basalt fibers were
immersed in different chemicals for a period of 62 days. There 10 8.97
Flexure Strength (MPa)

8.49
were two sorts of fiber groups. Twelve different treatments were 7.47 7.53 7.89
applied for every one considering concrete medium. From the 8 7.16
graph (Fig. 13), calcium hydroxide and compound of calcium salt 5.71 5.9
indicates lower mass retention than sodium hydroxide and its 6
compounds. Maximum weight loss was detected around 30% for
Ca(OH)2 solutions. This may be due to the presence of pores, which 4
may allow aqueous solution to permeate into and breakdown the
silicon linkage. 2
On the other side, initial mass was increased for Group B fiber
when treated with Ca(OH)2 and its combinations with salts 0
(Fig. 14). Two factors mainly influence in this circumstances i.e., 7 14 28 56
Control BFRC
8.5 Fig. 18. Flexural strength of fly ash concrete with or without BF.
7.9
solution saturation condition and fiber balling effect. The weight
Flexure Strength (MPa)

8
loss was around 10.5% at the end of 62 days for NaOH with NaCl.
7.34 7.3 There is no substantial difference between Group A and Group B
7.5 7.2 7.16 fibers in salt solutions.
6.99

7 4.5. Mechanical properties of basalt fiber concrete

6.5
Considering the above mentioned durability properties, Group
A fiber was selected to measure the mechanical properties of basalt
fiber reinforced high performance OPC and HVFA concrete.
6
7 14 28
Control BFRC
4.5.1. Compressive strength
The variation in the compressive strength of both specimens,
Fig. 17. Flexural strength of OPC concrete with or without BF. with and without fibers, at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days is shown in
202 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203

Fig. 19. Brittle failure of BFRC.

tively higher indirect tensile strength in every age of strength

development even after 56 days.

4.5.3. Flexural strength

Figs. 17 and 18 present the results of flexural strength of con-
crete at different testing ages, carried out for with or without mod-
ified basalt fiber. As expected, a higher flexural strength was
obtained.
The flexural strength of high volume fly ash basalt fiber rein-
forced concrete was found to have increased in comparison to
the high strength OPC concrete (Figs. 17 and 18). However, it is
known that the water demand increases with the addition of fibers
[43]. This may be attributed to the fact that fly ash enhances the
strength of the transition zone in concrete while the fibers act as
crack arrestors. The reason for such behaviour might be the higher
Al2O3 content present in fly ash, which is very less in OPC. The
Al2O3 content reacts with Ca(OH)2 to procedure calcium-
aluminate hydrate gel. The released water generally fulfils the
water demand of the cement paste; hence, no additional water is
required [44]. Furthermore, fly ash concrete offers better workabil-
Fig. 20. Bonding of basalt fiber with cement matrix.
ity with fibers than OPC concrete [45]. In short, the higher Al2O3
content in basalt fibers and fly ash are more advantageous in indi-
rect tensile and flexural strength development as compared to the
OPC concrete.

4.6. Failure pattern of BFRC

Fig. 19 presents the failure patterns of BFRC specimens after

flexural test. The fibrous beams with volume fraction 0.5% failed
suddenly and got separated into two pieces. This is due to lower
aspect ratio and inadequate volume fraction of fibers in the given
volume. It was rather difficult to see the fiber in fracture surface
by naked eyes because of its diminutive diameter (15 mm).
To get an idea of the failure characteristic of basalt fiber in con-
crete, the surface of BFRC was analyzed by SEM. Fig. 20 confirms
the strong chemical bonding in between fibers and hydrated
cement matrix [14]. Furthermore, fibers got fractured in failure
surface due to good interlocking (Fig. 21).

5. Conclusions

Fig. 21. Failure of basalt fiber. As a result of this study, silane modified basalt fibers have long
term suitable properties to be used in concrete as fiber reinforce-
ment even in severe environment. The findings of this study could
Fig. 15. From figures, it could be seen that there is not significant
be summarized as below:
discrepancy between the results of high performance OPC and
HVFA concrete with or without 0.5% basalt fibers.
(1) Basalt fibers are long term compatible reinforcement fibers
for chloride and sulphate solutions.
(2) At room temperature, pH measurement after 62 days also
4.5.2. Indirect tensile strength
confirms the stability of modified basalt fibers than non-
Fig. 16 shows the indirect tensile strength variation of the con-
modified basalt fiber in alkaline medium.
crete mixtures. Fly ash concrete with basalt fiber illustrates rela-
 M. Afroz et al. / Construction and Building Materials 154 (2017) 191–203 203

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