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Title: Predicting the Flexural Postcracking Performance of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete from the Pullout of Single Fibers

Author(s): Hugo S. Armelin and Nemkumar Banthia

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 94

Issue: 1

Appears on pages(s): 18-31

Keywords: cracking (fracturing); fiber reinforced concretes; flexural strength; reinforcing steels;

DOI: 10.14359/281

Date: 1/1/1997

Abstract:
A model based on simple principles of mechanics is proposed to predict the flexural toughness of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC), having the experimental pullout force versus slip relationships of single fibers at different inclination angles and the compressive strength of the matrix as the only two input parameters. The model is shown to be in good agreement with experimental results from tests on SFRC in terms of average response and kinematics of the failure mode. In addition, a reliability analysis has been incorporated in the model, allowing for the prediction not only of the average expected response but also its variability. This study of the stochastic nature of the process is also shown to agree well with the experiments and those reported in the literature in terms of the expected variability in flexural toughness testing. The analytical results provide a valuable insight into the mechanisms involved in the flexural behavior of SFRC and provide explanations for some of its paradoxical features such as the lack of proportionality between the fiber content and the postcracking residual strength and apparent embrittlement in the composites with higher strength matrices. It is expected that this model will be a useful tool in designing new fiber geometries for improved toughness performance with minimized variability and provide an improved rationale for designing SFRC mixes and specifying their hardened properties. Additionally, this model represents a basis for obtaining the constitutive relationships of SFRC at a crack for structural design.