Garg, MohitAzarsa, PejmanGupta, Rishi2021-05-182021-05-1820212021Garg, M., Azarsa, P., & Gupta, R. (2021). Self-Healing Potential and Post-Cracking Tensile Behavior of Polypropylene Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites. Journal of Composites Science, 5(5), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs5050122.https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs5050122http://hdl.handle.net/1828/12985The use of synthetic fibers as reinforcement in fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC) demonstrates a combination of better ductile response vis-à-vis metallic ones, enhanced durability in a high pH environment, and resistance to corrosion as well as self-healing capabilities. This study explores the effect of macro- and micro-scale polypropylene (PP) fibers on post-crack energy, ductility, and the self-healing potential of FRCC. Laboratory results indicate a significant change in fracture response, i.e., loss in ductility as curing time increases. PP fiber samples cured for 2 days demonstrated ductile fracture behavior, controllable crack growth during tensile testing, post-cracking behavior, and a regain in strength owing to FRCC’s self-healing mechanism. Different mixes of FRCC suggest an economical mixing methodology, where the strong bond between the PP fibers and cementitious matrix plays a key role in improving the tensile strength of the mortar. Additionally, the micro PP fiber samples demonstrate resistance to micro-crack propagation, observed as an increase in peak load value and shape deformation during compression and tensile tests. Notably, low volume fraction of macro-scale PP fibers in FRCC revealed higher post-crack energy than the higher dosage of micro-scale PP fibers. Lastly, few samples with a crack of <0.5 mm exhibited a self-healing mechanism, and upon testing, the healed specimens illustrated higher strain values.enfiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC)self-healing (SH)polypropylene fibertensile strengthconcrete crackingArticleDepartment of Civil Engineering