Fiber Effects on Phase Change Materials Concrete Properties

In the era of environmental concerns, the increase in the buildings’ operating energy has necessitated the finding of efficient technology to reduce their energy losses. Incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) into building materials (i.e., concrete) had been adopted as a promising solution. However, adding PCM to concrete showed detrimental effects on its properties, mainly reduction in the mechanical properties. Hence, this study investigates the potential of overcoming this issue by adding fibers. Several types of fibers were added at rates 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0% by volume of the mixture and tested. Results showed that adding fiber to PCM-concrete had improved the mechanical properties, regardless of the fiber types and additional rates. The higher the fiber content, the higher the improvement in PCM-concrete properties. Also, the stiffness and geometry of the fiber had significant effects. Bridging voids induced by PCMs breakage and increasing tensile strength of the matrix enhanced the achieved strength. The findings of this study pave the way for higher PCMs incorporation leading to better thermal performance.