AURAK Professor Presents Research into Using Polypropylene Fibers in Concrete

​Dr. Roz-Ud-Din Nassar presented the results of research into the use of polypropylene fibers in concrete in a faculty research colloquium at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK).

The presentation was titled the “Use of Polypropylene Fibers in Concrete Mixtures Produced with Crushed Stone Sand as Fine Aggregate.”

Concrete is a composite material made by mixing coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, cement and water. Some 4.1 billion tons of cement are produced annually, meaning that worldwide each year more than 16 billion tons of concrete or 1.7 tons per capita are made. The use of concrete is increasing due to industrialization and urbanization.

It is brittle, has high compressive strength but lower tensile strength. Its lower tensile strength is overcome by using reinforcement, for example, with steel.

Cylinder specimens were tested for their compressive and split tension strengths. Concrete beam specimens were used for examining flexural strength. The durability characteristics of these concrete mixtures were tested, using a moisture sorption test carried out on concrete disc specimens.

The result of the research was that the use of polypropylene fibers in concrete mixtures produced with crushed stone sand as fine aggregate is thought to be a good practice towards enhancing the compressive, flexural and split tension strengths of resulting concrete mixtures without compromising the durability attributes of these admixtures.

Dr. Roz-Ud-Din Nassar is an Associate Professor of Civil and Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering at AURAK. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University, USA. Dr. Nassar is a member of American Concrete Institute (ACI); American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); and Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). His research focusses on concrete and concrete durability and the use of recycled materials towards production of environmentally friendly, energy efficient and durable concrete materials.