Improving the bond characteristics of AR-glass strands by microstructure modification technique

This paper introduces a fiber modification technique for enhancing the bond characteristics of AR-glass strands embedded in cement paste. AR-glass strands were modified by absorption of four different types of slurries containing sub-micron organic and inorganic particles. Two different sample preparation processes were applied prior to incorporation the modified strands in the cement paste. Bond characteristics of unmodified and modified AR-glass strands embedded in cement paste were determined by pull-out test and the failure mechanism of pulling out strands was determined by Failure Investigation by Light Transmission (FILT) test. Test results showed that the bond properties and failure type of AR-glass strands can be enhanced by the microstructure modification technique. The efficiency of the modification was highly dependent on filler type, structure and also the production method.