Effect of steam‒curing on the glass fiber reinforced concrete

Due to the increased need to use precast concrete to reduce construction duration and to accelerate the cement reaction process to achieve the required concrete resistance that enables the elements to gain the required strength to handle the loads generated by the transportation process, many companies use steam curing methods to expedite the hydration process. The steam curing process negatively affects the concrete strength, especially in the long term. Fibers of different types are used to improve the interior composition of concrete and increase its crack resistance. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of the glass fiber on the behavior of steam-cured concrete. In this study 90 concrete cubes were used with 15cm dimensions, three different weight ratios of glass fibers (0%, 0.12%, and 0.24%) with two curing methods standard curing in the water tank (water curing - WC) for 3, 7, and 28 days, and steam curing (SC) for 4 and 8 hours. Nine specimens of each mix were cast in 12 mm, and 24 mm fibers length and tested for each curing duration and method. The results of this study indicate that fiber glass addition to the steam-cured concrete has a positive effect on the concrete unit weight and the ultrasonic pulse velocity. Moreover, the result showed that the tensile and compressive strength of the concrete has been positively affected by the length of the fiber more than the fiber weight percentage.