Fire Resistance Performance of Reactive Powder Concrete Columns

This paper experimentally explores the fire resistance of reactive powder concrete (RPC) columns with varying steel and polypropylene (PP) fiber content. RPC is a concrete composition with the highest developed compressive strength and is incorporated with steel fibers that can improve the tensile strength and ductility of RPC structures. The fire resistance of RPC structures, however, has been disputed by engineers and researchers. Four columns with different weight contents of fiber were tested in fire for 30 and 60 minutes with a load applied afterwards. Then, the performance of RPC columns in elevated temperature was investigated, focusing on spalling depth, failure mechanism in fiber and residual strength. The results showed that increasing the volume fraction of steel fiber or the presence of PP fiber improves the fire resistance of the columns. However, the columns lost significant cross-sectional area and load capacity. With the knowledge that this research would provide, a better understanding for making decisions could be developed