Date of Graduation

12-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Civil Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Murray, Cameron D.

Committee Member

Hale, W. Micah

Second Committee Member

Heymsfield, Ernest

Keywords

Concrete; Fiber Reinforced Concrete; Flexural Strength; Pavement; Plain Concrete; Toughness

Abstract

For decades, many solutions have been evaluated to combat cracking in concrete pavements. The study presented in this paper evaluates and compares the flexural performance under a third point loading configuration of plain concrete (PC) beams, fully fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) beams, and hybrid PC and FRC beams, with a top PC and bottom FRC layer. The purpose of this hybrid approach was to provide FRC in only half the section, saving cost, while providing a PC surface layer that is easier to finish. All PC top layers were applied at an age of 7-days, considered a reasonable time for constructability of a pavement. Four different types of synthetic, polypropylene fibers were examined along with three different interface preparation methods on the hybrid specimens. It was determined that using a blended macro-micro fiber provided the best results in terms of toughness before and after flexural cracking. Results also indicated that using an intentionally roughened surface similar to roadway tines resulted in the best flexural performance compared to the other surface preparation methods in this thesis. FRC beams provided the best flexural performance out of the three sections evaluated, but a hybrid section provided double the flexural performance of an unreinforced, PC section.

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