Use of Superplasticized Fiber Reinforced Concrete in the Construction of Pavements

Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC) by itself has opened up a new era in the field of Civil Engineering. FRC has given altogether a new dimension to concrete technology. It is even difficult to imagine that just the addition of fibres into concrete mass can change the entire properties of concrete. The addition of fibres into the concrete not only improve the tensile strength but also, the compressive strength, flexural strength, impact resistance, wear and tear resistance of concrete. Many precast elements are making use of FRC advantageously. Due to the technological growth, many newer admixtures and high grade cements have been introduced now a days in the market. Among the admixtures, the invention of water reducing agents or superplasticizers have almost brought a revolution in the construction scene. The introduction of high grade cements kike 43 grade and 53 grade cements have given a wider flexibility in design & construction. This paper intends to present the results of an experimental investigation carried out on the effect of superplasticizers on the strength parameters of fibre reinforced concrete produced from high grade cements. Four different superplasticizers have been used in the experimentation. Separate sets of experiments are carried out on concrete produced from both 43 grade and 53 grade cements. Thus here an attempt is made to show how superplasticizers can be efectively used in the production of fibre reinforced concrete which can be efiectively used in the construction of pavements. 33