Structural performance of UHPC reinforced with bioinspired silica-coated steel fibres

Alshahrani, Abdullah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2454-3427, Ismail, Abdulmalik, Almutlaqah, Ayman and Kulasegaram, Sivakumar 2026. Structural performance of UHPC reinforced with bioinspired silica-coated steel fibres. Buildings 16 (7) , 1278. 10.3390/buildings16071278

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Abstract

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has been widely investigated for its superior strength and durability; however, despite extensive research on fibre reinforcement, limited attention has been given to validating fibre surface modification strategies at the structural scale. Improvements in fibre–matrix bonding are commonly demonstrated through single-fibre tests, with limited evidence of their translation into the mechanical performance of UHPC elements. This study investigates the influence of bioinspired surface-modified steel fibres on the mechanical behaviour of UHPC, focusing on whether interfacial enhancements lead to measurable structural-scale performance gains. Steel fibres were coated under mild aqueous conditions and incorporated into UHPC at a volume fraction of 1%. Compressive strength was evaluated at 7, 14, 28, 56, and 90 days, while flexural behaviour was assessed at 7 and 28 days using three-point bending tests on notched beams and four-point bending tests on prisms. The incorporation of surface-modified fibres resulted in consistent strength enhancement at all curing ages. Compared with mixes containing uncoated fibres, compressive strength increased by approximately 15% at 7 days and remained 5–7% higher at later ages up to 90 days. More pronounced improvements were observed in flexural performance, with coated specimens exhibiting up to 51% higher peak load at 7 days and 29–32% higher peak load at 28 days in both bending configurations. These results demonstrate that fibre surface modification effectively enhances both early-age and long-term mechanical performance of UHPC, confirming that interfacial bond improvements are directly translated into structural-scale response. The findings highlight fibre surface engineering as a practical approach for improving the mechanical efficiency of UHPC without altering mix composition or fibre dosage.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Engineering
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Start Date: 2026-03-24
Publisher:	MDPI
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 April 2026
Date of Acceptance:	20 March 2026
Last Modified:	09 Apr 2026 09:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186281

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