Abstract

This study examined the relations between permeability of the concrete due to addition of new cracks. The different concrete types analyzed were standard concrete, reinforced steel fiber concrete, and reinforced concrete polypropylene fiber. In consideration of the improved polypropylene content of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete, the crack diameter was decreased by 72-93% for up to 0.25% fiber and cracks were eliminated with 0.3% fiber inclusion. In terms of steel fiber-reinforced concrete, the results showed that steel reinforcing macro fibers decrease the permeability of cracked concrete at wider crack widths. While the permeability of unreinforced concrete was the highest, 0.5% steel content resulted in lower permeability while a higher steel content concrete with 1% steel had the lowest permeability. Crack stitching phenomenon and the effect of multiple cracks may be attributed to the decrease in the permeability. With respect to normal concrete, the findings showed the crack opening displacement at the highest tension is less than 20 microns. At this loading stage, after unloading, around 80% of the displacement is restored and the residual crack opening is notably small, indicating the low impact of cracking on concrete permeability (CP) and showing that CP was increased with crack width. As a result, adding polypropylene aggregate to concrete could significantly reduce the width of crack, while adding steel fiber to concrete reduces the permeability of cracked concrete compared to normal concrete which may result in a minor crack on CP.