Influence of Different Fibers on the Bonding Performance between Recycled Aggregate Concrete and Steel Bars
Hongmei Chen1,*, Ronggui Liu1, Feifei Jiang1, Hsing-Wei Tai2,3
1 School of Civil Engineering, Nantong Institute of Technology, Nantong, China
2 School of Higher-Educational Engineering Research Centre for Intelligence and Automation in Construction, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
3 Department of Engineering and Management, International College, Krirk University, No. 3 Soi Ramintra 1, Ramintra Road, Anusaowaree, Bangkhen, Bangkok, Thailand
* Corresponding Author: Hongmei Chen. Email:
Structural Durability & Health Monitoring https://doi.org/10.32604/sdhm.2026.078326
Received 29 December 2025; Accepted 02 March 2026; Published online 29 April 2026
Abstract
This paper analyzes the influence of different fibers (polypropylene fibers and basalt fibers) and fiber contents (0%–0.20%) on the bonding performance between recycled coarse aggregate concrete and steel bars. The results show that the addition of recycled aggregates can reduce the fluidity of concrete, whereas the addition of fibers can further reduce the fluidity of concrete. The addition of fibers can effectively improve the mechanical properties of concrete (polypropylene fiber can increase compressive strength and splitting tensile strength by 7.80% and 6.09%, respectively, while basalt fiber can increase compressive strength and splitting tensile strength by 8.78% and 8.31%, respectively), but excessive fiber content can actually reduce the mechanical properties of concrete. The addition of fibers can enhance the bond strength between recycled concrete and steel bars and limit the relative slip between recycled concrete and steel bars, thereby improving the bond performance. The improvement effect of basalt fibers on the mechanical and bonding properties of recycled concrete is superior to that of polypropylene fibers. The correlation between the bond strength between fiber-reinforced recycled concrete and steel bars and the splitting tensile strength of recycled concrete is better, and a calculation model for the bond strength between fiber-reinforced recycled concrete and steel bars is constructed on the basis of the splitting tensile strength as the mechanical performance index. This study can provide a basis for the application of fiber-reinforced recycled concrete technology in engineering.
Keywords
Recycled aggregate concrete; basalt fiber; polypropylene fiber; mechanical performance; bonding performance