Effects of Barite Sand Addition on Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete Mechanical Behavior

Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) is a cementitious composite reinforced by the addition of alkali-resistant glass fibers. GFRC is widely used for various types of precast products in civil engineering industries. GRFC mixes generally include silica sand to produce precast concrete elements; however, silica sand was replaced with barite sand at the ratios of 5%, 10 % and 15 % of wt. in order to reveal its applicability and potential for different engineering purposes. The flexural strength and the freeze-thaw(F&T) resistance of the composites were studied. The experimental results showed that the replacement of silica sand with barite sand up to 15 % of wt. enhances the mechanical properties of the composites in respect to flexural strength and F&T resistance properties.