HIGH STRENGTH BASALT FIBER REINFORCED CEMENT COMPOSITES

THIS RESEARCH PROPOSES TO INVESTIGATE THE REINFORCEMENT OF ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT BY BASALT FIBERS. APART FROM POSSESSING HIGH STRENGTH (500 X 10 (3) PSI.) AND MODULUS (13 X 10(6) PSI.) BASALT FIBERS ARE DURABLE IN AN ALKALINE MEDIUM, AN ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT FOR A FIBER IN CEMENT PASTE. BY REINFORCING WITH BASALT FIBERS HIGH STRENGTH CEMENT COMPOSITES MAY BE ACHIEVED. IT IS ENVISAGED HERE TO IMPROVE THE DURABILITY OF BASALT-CEMENT COMPOSITES BY IMPROVING FURTHER THE ALKALINE RESISTANCE OF BASALT FIBERS. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY MODIFYING THE COMPOSITION OF THE BASALT FIBER BY ADDING MN20(3) AND OXIDE DURABLE IN ITS OWN RIGHT IN AN ALKALINE MEDIUM. CEMENT COMPOSITES THUS PREPARED WILL ALSO BE SUBJECTED TO ACCELERATED TESTS TO PREDICT STRENGTHS OVER EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME.