Study on physical and mechanical properties of complex-phase conductive fiber cementitious materials

With the continuous upgrading of infrastructure construction and the gradual development of theoretical research about engineering construction, higher performance requirements have been put forward for concrete materials. Therefore, to meet the engineering quality requirements of various concrete structures, the research direction of engineering materials has shifted towards developing new concrete with high strength, high ductility, high toughness, and other multifunctional properties. Mixing two or more types of fibers with conductive properties with the cement matrix material allows various fibers to leverage their strengths and weaknesses, thereby utilizing their respective characteristics. This results in the formation of a complex-phase conductive fiber cementitious material (CFCM), which enhances the safety, durability, and toughness of the structure. It enables the engineering structure to exhibit intelligence and resourcefulness, thereby improving its service life and reducing the full life cycle cost of the cementitious material structure. Additionally, this approach relatively eases the demand for concrete materials and reduces material consumption. This method represents one of the research directions for new concrete. Complex-phase CFCMs are essentially smart materials capable of sensing not only compressive or tensile stresses but also temperature. The emergence of CFCM represents a significant step forward in enhancing the mechanics, functionality, and sustainability of modern infrastructure. In this experiment, an orthogonal test involving 16 working conditions with three factors and four levels was designed, with steel fiber (SF) type, SF content, and carbon fiber (CF) content as the factors. The study focused on the physical and mechanical properties of composite conductive fiber cement-based materials containing both SF and CF. Performance indicators such as flexural strength, volume resistivity, and energized temperature rise of the composite conductive fiber cement-based materials were tested. The analysis of orthogonal tests produced the following results regarding the degree of influence of each factor on the mechanical and physical properties: the order of influence on flexural strength was SF doping > SF type > CF doping. Further analysis revealed that the best combination was 4. The relationship between the effect of each factor on resistivity is as follows: carbon fiber doping > SF doping > SF type. Comparing the weights between