Arresting properties of polypropylene fiber-reinforced foamed concrete under wet-dry cycles

The crushing behavior of foamed concrete is utilized to assess the arresting properties of the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS). In this study, polypropylene fibers (PPF) are used to improve the crushing behavior of foamed concrete with and without wet-dry cycles. The results indicate that the compressive strength, initial crushing stress and maximum energy absorption efficiency of foamed concrete with 0.6 % PPF is increased by 71.89 %, 60.85 % and 9.52 %, respectively. After 30 wet-dry cycles, the above three parameters are reduced to 0.21 MPa, 0.71 MPa, and 0.42, respectively, for foamed concrete without fibers, and 0.28 MPa, 0.97 MPa, and 0.44 for foamed concrete with 0.6 % PPF. The analysis based on the tire/foam interface model reveals the potential reduction of the arresting force on the landing gear caused by wet-dry cycles while the fiber reinforcement could partially offset this deterioration. Adding PPF to foamed concrete for EMAS construction has the potential to optimize cement costs and enhance arresting properties.