Stimulated autogenous-healing capacity of fiber-reinforced mortar incorporating healing agents for recovery against fracture and mechanical properties

This study aimed to investigate the effect of autogenous healing capacity with the addition of expansive and crystalline agents on mechanical and fracture behaviors of fiber-reinforced (FR) mortar specimens with crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) controlled test set-up. The experimental results of a self-healing approach of FR mortar were analyzed in terms of first cracking peak load (FCPL) increase, index of fracture toughness recovery (IFTR), and index of fracture energy recovery (IFER). Initially, the specimens were pre-cracked at different crack widths ranging from 30 μm to 200 μm after 28-days of curing. After pre-cracking, the specimens were kept in water for 56- and 120-day healing. A controlled three-point bending test (PBT) was applied on prism specimen having a central notch of 40 mm depth for pre-cracking as well as the post-conditioning stage for determining the FCPL. However, the crack surfaces were monitored by a high-range digital microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to examine the nature of healed products near the damaged area. Test results revealed that a significant recovery of small cracks (≤50 μm) could be achieved for self-healing specimens by using healing agents (HA), while for large cracks (≥100 μm) partial recovery could be achieved after the 120-day healing period.