A Comprehensive Review on Mechanical and Durability Properties of Steel Fiber Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

Abstract

Concrete, a widely used construction material, has its limitations, such as heavy self-weight and brittleness, which can be addressed by using lightweight aggregate concrete with steel fibres to improve its toughness and efficiency. Steel fiber lightweight aggregate concrete (SFLAC) is a kind of high performance composite material formed by mixing short and fine steel fibers into lightweight aggregate concrete matrix, which combines the light weight, good thermal insulation performance of lightweight aggregate concrete with the excellent tensile strength, crack resistance and toughness of steel fibers, and effectively overcomes the inherent defects of high brittleness, low tensile strength and poor toughness of ordinary lightweight aggregate concrete. This paper systematically summarizes the research progress on workability, mechanical properties (compressive, tensile, flexural, toughness) and durability of steel fiber lightweight aggregate concrete, discusses its current engineering application fields, and prospects its future research direction. The development of specialised construction equipment and the popularisation of construction techniques have effectively solved construction challenges such as lightweight aggregate floating and uneven fiber dispersion, laying a solid foundation for its large-scale application. It can be anticipated that in the future field of civil engineering, steel fibre lightweight aggregate concrete will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role, especially in key projects with high material performance requirements.