The Effect of Nanosilica and Steel Fibers on The Mechanical Behavior of Structural Lightweight Concrete

Abstract

The low strength of lightweight aggregates diminishes the strength of lightweight concrete, and the concrete's fragility impedes the ductile behavior of structures subjected to seismic stresses. The use of reinforcing materials and fibers may increase the strength of lightweight concrete by compensating for the impact of reduced strength caused by the use of lightweight particles and preventing the rapid breakdown of concrete. The performance of the materials used is an effective determinant of structural member behavior. Therefore, for computational analysis of finite elements to accurately anticipate the behavior of structural parts, precise behavioral models of materials are required. This study studied the tensile behavior of lightweight structural concrete containing steel fibers (at a volume percentage of 1%) and nanosilica reinforcing pozzolan (at a weight percentage of between 1 and 3%), using tensile strength as one of the influencing factors. together with the strain corresponding to the maximal stress. The inclusion of steel fibers and nanosilica had the largest influence on enhancing the tensile behavior of lightweight concrete, according to the data. By adding 3% nanosilica and 1% steel fibers to light concrete, the direct tensile strength has risen by 74%. In addition, the indirect tensile strength is somewhat greater in all samples than the direct tensile strength.