Study of eco-friendly fabricated hydrophobic concrete containing basalt fiber with good durability

Basalt fiber reinforced concrete often works in marine environments. The wettability of the basalt fiber reinforced concrete directly affects its corrosion resistance and durability. In this paper, hydrophobic basalt fiber reinforced concrete was fabricated by using non-toxic stearic acid. The influence of the stearic acid on the wettability of basalt fiber reinforced concrete was studied. The surface free energy of hydrophobic basalt fiber reinforced concrete was calculated using the Owens-Wendt, Neumann, and Fowkes methods, and the corresponding results were compared. The impact of the stearic acid on the cement hydration, surface free energy, water absorption, and corrosion resistance of basalt fiber reinforced concrete with different basalt fiber contents was also analyzed. It was deduced that the water absorption decreased with the increase of the basalt fiber content. Compared with the basalt fiber reinforced concrete without stearic acid, the water absorption of the modified fiber concrete was reduced by 10%. In addition, the surface wettability of the samples with the added stearic acid was decreased, which increased the corrosion resis-tance. The proposed method is eco-friendly and it can be expanded for the use in the application of basalt fiber reinforced concrete in marine environment.