Cost-to-performance assessment of polyvinyl alcohol fibers in concrete structures

Abstract

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers are polymeric filaments used to improve ductility and strain-hardening of cementitious composite mortars and grouts. Limited studies investigated their effect on the structural properties of normal-strength grade concrete mixtures containing coarse aggregates, including the resulting cost-to-performance ratio. For a given fiber volume, results showed that PVA fibers achieved a good compromise between cost and performance, despite their unit price is considered twice and trice higher than polypropylene or steel fibers, respectively. The use of steel fibers induced significant cost increase, however, the overall concrete performance remained lower than the one achieved using PVA fibers.