Effects of Superplasticizer and Microsteel Fiber on the Properties of Cement Mortars

Abstract

The effect of naphthalene-base superplasticizer (SP) and microsteel fiber (SF) on the properties of cement mortars has been studied. SP was found to promote the dispersion on cement particles and to interact with Ca(OH)��. As a result, the resulting mortars exhibit better workability, more compact structure and higher compressive strength. The proper content of SP in mortars is about 1 wt%. Addition of SF into SP-containing mortars may reduce the workability a little, but the compressive strength can be further increased. The strength of mortar with 1 wt% SP and 1 vol% SF after 28 days curing is 77.6MPa, which is 38% higher than that of plain mortar.