Improving the acoustic absorption of enhanced porosity concrete with fiber reinforcement

Title: Improving the acoustic absorption of enhanced porosity concrete with fiber reinforcement
Author(s): Narayanan Neithalath, Jason Weiss, Jan Olek
Paper category : conference
Book title: International RILEM Symposium on Concrete Science and Engineering: A Tribute to Arnon Bentur
Editor(s): J. Weiss, K. Kovler, J. Marchand, and S. Mindess
Print-ISBN: None
e-ISBN: 2912143926
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2004
Nb references: 14
Language: English

Abstract: Enhanced Porosity Concrete (EPC) has recently been demonstrated to have the potential to reduce the noise that is generated in concrete pavements due to tire-pavement interaction. EPC is proportioned by gap grading aggregates to develop an interconnected network of pores. This paper investigates the influence of polypropylene fibers on the acoustic absorption of EPC. It was observed that addition of fiber reinforcement does not significantly influence the total pore volume of the system; however the acoustic absorption is improved. The improvement in acoustic absorption due to the addition of fiber reinforcement is most prominent in mixtures with larger pore sizes. It is believed that, in these mixtures, the fibers partition the pores. The influence of variation in pore sizes in acoustic absorption is further explained using a conceptual model that uses an electro-acoustic analogy. The pore connectivity factor obtained from electrical conductivity studies was found to be directly related to the acoustic absorption. The addition of polypropylene fibers significantly altered the pore connectivity factor, which describes its influence on acoustic absorption.

Online publication: 2004-03-25
Classification: Fracture and Impact
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00
doi: 10.1617/2912143926.084