Practical Analysis of Permeable Concrete Properties with Polypropylene Fiber Addition

Abstract

One of the recent approaches used to minimize the impacts of the growth of impermeable areas in urban centers is permeable flooring. Permeable floors can be made of concrete and are called permeable concrete. This research aims to analyze the use of polypropylene fibers in the mixture of permeable concrete to assess whether the fibers significantly alter the properties of this type of concrete, such as compression resistance and flexure tensile strength. For the tests, three concrete mixes of permeable concrete were first used to determine the reference of the composition of concrete: 1:3, without the use of sand and with water-to-cement ratio (w/c) equal to 0.32; 1:4, with the use of 10\% of coarse sand and w/c of 0.35; and finally 1:5, with the use of 10\% of coarse sand and w/c of 0.35; and finally 1:5, using 10\% of coarse sand and w/c of 0.35. In these concrete mixes, tests were performed to determine their mechanical properties being them: permeability, compression resistance, and flexure tensile strength. After the reference concrete mix was determined, three more concrete mixes were made using polypropylene fibers, at levels of 0.6 kg/m$^3$, 1.8 kg/m$^3$, and 3.0 kg/m$^3$. The same initial tests were then carried out for concrete with the addition of fibers. The analysis of the results showed that the concrete mix that achieved the best result for the flexure tensile strength test, which was the main focus of the research, was the 1:4 trait with the addition of 1.8 kg/m$^3$.