Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Innovative Infrastructure Solutions (2020) 5:103 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-020-00359-y TECHNICAL PAPER Performance of basalt fbre‑reinforced concrete for pavement and fooring applications Adeyemi Adesina 1  · Amirreza Bastani 1  · Jamshid Zohreh Heydariha 1  · Sreekanta Das 1  · David Lawn 2 Received: 24 June 2020 / Accepted: 19 August 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 Abstract This paper investigates the efect of basalt fbres on the performance of concrete and is designed for applications in foor- ing and pavement construction. A total of seven concrete mixtures were prepared using various lengths of chopped basalt fbres (12 mm, 36 mm and 50 mm length) with two dosages of 4 kg/m 3 and 8 kg/m 3 , respectively. In order to evaluate the performance of these mixtures for these specifed applications, the mechanical properties and durability related to the intended application were examined. The investigation of these mechanical properties directly correlates to the compressive strength and fexural strength of the basalt-reinforced concrete. The abrasion resistance, porosity, sorptivity and sorption of the mixtures were also evaluated to determine the durability and subsequent performance of the mixtures. An Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity test, a non-destructive test, was conducted to verify and validate the quality of the mixtures. Results from this study showed a signifcant increase in fexural strength and abrasion resistance of concrete when combined with basalt fbres, although a slight decrease in the compressive strength of concrete was observed. The introduction of basalt fbres also served to increase the permeability properties of these mixtures. However, this resulting permeability was found to be within an acceptable range for the designed application. Results from the Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity test and the subsequent validation of the results validated the viability of assessing the quality of concrete mixtures incorporating basalt fbres by employing this method of non-destructive testing. Keywords Concrete · Mechanical test · Durability test · Non-destructive test · Basalt fbre Introduction Concrete is a versatile building material that has been used extensively for various applications which include pave- ment and industrial foor construction. However, the brittle nature and low fexural strength of concrete coupled with the potential for signifcant shrinkage in applications with large surface areas require additional measures to reinforce this composite (i.e. concrete). Reduced service life is almost always a resultant outcome when a standard concrete mix is used for the above-noted applications. One such efective way to improve these properties of concrete is the incorpo- ration of fbres, for this study—basalt, as an added form of reinforcement. In recent years, various types of fbres such as cellulose [1], polypropylene [2], glass [3], carbon [4], basalt [5–8] and polyvinyl alcohol [9–11] have been used to reinforce standard concrete mixes. With the increase in sustainability awareness in the construction industry, it is paramount that eco-friendly fbres are also used when rein- forcing concrete. The recent development of basalt fbres as a possible reinforcement for concrete has opened a pathway for improving the performance of concrete while using eco- friendly (green) reinforcement, which brings with it many added benefts beyond that of just reinforcement and durabil- ity. Basalt fbre is a product obtained from volcanic igneous * Adeyemi Adesina adesina1@uwindsor.ca Amirreza Bastani bastani@uwindsor.ca Jamshid Zohreh Heydariha zohreh@uwindsor.ca Sreekanta Das s.das@uwindsor.ca David Lawn dlawn@medagroup.com 1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada 2 MEDA Limited, Windsor, ON, Canada