IJSRST18416 | Received : 21 Dec 2017 | Accepted : 04 Jan 2018 | January-February-2018 [(4)2: 12-16] © 2018 IJSRST | Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Print ISSN: 2395-6011 | Online ISSN: 2395-602X 12 Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Concrete Using Fibers Pramol Waychal 1 , Dr. Nagesh Shelke 2 1 PG Student (ME Civil- Structural Engineering), Dr D Y Patil School of Engineering & Technology, Lohgaon, Pune, Maharashtra, India 2 Assistant Professor, Dr D Y Patil School of Engineering & Technology, Lohgaon, Pune, Maharashtra, India ABSTRACT Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing fibrous material which increases its structural integrity. It contains short discrete fibers that are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented. Fibers include steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers and natural fibers .Each of which lend varying properties to the concrete. In addition, the character of fiber-reinforced concrete changes with varying concretes, fiber materials, geometries, distribution, orientation, and densities. The concept of using fibers as reinforcement is not new. Fibers have been used as reinforcement since ancient times. Historically, horsehair was used in mortar and straw in mudbricks. In the 1900s, asbestos fibers were used in concrete. In the 1950s, the concept of composite materials came into being and fiber- reinforced concrete was one of the topics of interest. Once the health risks associated with asbestos were discovered, there was a need to find a replacement for the substance in concrete and other building materials. By the 1960s, steel, glass (GFRC), and synthetic fibers such as polypropylene fibers were used in concrete. Research into new fiber- reinforced concretes continues today. Keywords : Fiber reinforced concrete, types of fiber, Admixtures, concrete mix design M40, compression test, flexural test I. INTRODUCTION Civil structures made of steel reinforced concrete normally suffer from corrosion of the steel by the salt, which results in the failure of those structures. Constant maintenance and repairing is needed to enhance the life cycle of those civil structures. There are many ways to minimize the failure of the concrete structures made of steel reinforce concrete. The custom approach is to adhesively bond fiber polymer composites onto the structure. This also helps to increase the toughness and tensile strength and improve the cracking and deformation characteristics of the resultant composite. But this method adds another layer, which is prone to degradation. These fiber polymer composites have been shown to suffer from degradation when exposed to marine environment due to surface blistering. As a result, the adhesive bond strength is reduced, which results in the de-lamination of the composite. Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) results from the addition of either short discrete fibers or continuous long fibers to the cement based matrix. Due to the superior performance characteristics its use by the construction industry has significantly increased in the last 5 years. For highway pavement applications, concretes with early strength are attractive for potential use in repair and rehabilitation with a view towards early opening of traffic. Their main purpose is to increase the energy absorption capacity and toughness of the material, but also increase tensile and flexural strength of concrete. There is considerable improvement in the post-cracking behaviour of concretes containing fibers. Compared to plain concrete, fibre reinforced concrete is much tougher and more resistant to impact. It may also contain pozzolona and other admixtures commonly used in conventional concrete. Fibers of various shapes and sizes produced from steel, plastic, glass, and natural materials are being used; however, for most structural and nonstructural purposes, steel fiber is the most commonly used of all the fibers.