PSI - Issue 81

Orest Polishchuk et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 81 (2026) 316–320

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Combined fiber reinforcement generally improves the strength of concrete, increasing it by 15 – 25%. Steel fiber kept in a non aggressive water environment showed slightly higher effectiveness. However, after exposure to an acidic environment, the influence of different types of fibers on concrete strength begins to differ by 8 – 15%. In acidic conditions, dispersed reinforcement does not provide a significant increase in strength and does not improve the corrosion resistance of concrete. For the control concrete, the strength loss was 28% after 6 months and 38% after 12 months. For concretes with a small amount of fiber, the reduction in strength with steel fibers was also 28% and 38%, while with polypropylene fibers it was 30% and 39%, respectively. Combined reinforcement with steel and polypropylene fibers improves the corrosion resistance of concrete when poorly soluble compounds accumulate in its pores and microcracks, creating internal stresses. The presence of fibers redistributes these stresses, which slows down the degradation of concrete as a composite material. Discrete fiber reinforcement limits the formation and growth of cracks caused by internal stresses within the composite. The use of fibers enhances the material’s corrosion resistance. Polypropylene fibers showed high effectiveness under acidic conditions, which can be attributed to their superior bonding with the concrete matrix and their chemical resistance to acids. The analysis of the diagram (Fig. 3, Fig. 4) shows that when stored in an aggressive acidic environment, the strength of the investigated concretes and fiber-reinforced concretes decreases, with the most significant reduction observed after 12 months of exposure. Under such conditions, the effect of fibers on concrete strength changes. However, discrete reinforcement with steel and polypropylene fibers still contributes to improving the concrete’s corrosion resistance. 4. Conclusions Fiber-reinforced concrete demonstrates higher corrosion resistance to various aggressive environments, including acids, compared to concrete without fibers. Experimental results showed that the addition of fibers increases the corrosion resistance of concrete. It has been established that exposure to alkaline (pH 13) and mildly acidic (pH kerosene) environments does not lead to a significant reduction in concrete strength — the losses do not exceed 5%. The greatest decrease in strength is caused by the acidic environment (pH 3), with reductions of 14 – 21% depending on the type of Portland cement. The highest resistance to aggressive environments is demonstrated by concretes with combined fiber reinforcement, which retain up to 90% of their strength even after exposure to an acidic solution. Concretes based on slag Portland cement PC-II/A-Sh-500 show slightly better chemical resistance compared to concretes based on PC-I. References Borysiuk O. P., Ziatiuk Y., 2021. 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