Mode I fracture toughness of fibre reinforced concrete (original) (raw)

Behaviour of Fibre-Reinforced Concretes with Reference to Fracture Resistance

Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures - FATIGUE FRACT ENG MATER STRUC, 1992

This paper examines the effect of beam size, fibre volume fraction and various fibres on the flexural behaviour of concretes, and their fracture resistance. The ratio of flexural strength to tensile strength is used as a measure of brittleness; a low value indicating a more brittle material. Two flexural toughness indices are used which provide a basis for analysing loadcleflection curves. The relation between these structural indices and the material fracture resistance is assessed by adopting parameters which involve flexural and tensile strengths alone and fibre length to reflect fracture resistance.

Influence of steel-polypropylene fibers on fracture parameters of high performance concrete

Bulletin of the Military University of Technology, 2016

The purpose of this article is to determine the influence of the type of fibers on fracture parameters of high performance concrete (HPC). In this study there were two types of coarse aggregate used: granite and granodiorite with a grain size of about 2/8 mm. Experimental tests were performed on cubic samples, cylinders and notched beams. In the concrete of FRC type, 0.5 and 0.75% of steel fibers and 0.5 and 0.25% of polypropylene fibers respectively, were added. Mean strengths and standard deviations for compression, splitting tensile strength, mean static modulus of elasticity and mean fracture energy were determined. Experimental studies in the 1 st fracture model showed that the HPC without the addition of fibers (C), was characterized by brittleness, and fiber concrete (FRC) was more ductile. Fibers were bridging the cracks during loading, delayed hairline cracks and prevented the notched beams from breaking. The shape of the descending curve of the load-deflection depended on the geometry and mechanical properties and the quantity of the fibers used, and in the case of HPC without fiber, on the type of coarse aggregate. In the case of granodiorite aggregate, better mechanical parameters of concrete were observed.

Fracture properties of plain and steel-polypropylene-fiber-reinforced high-performance concrete

Materiali in tehnologije, 2015

The aim of this research was to establish the fracture properties of high-performance concrete (HPC) containing two widely used types of fibers. The experimental investigation consisted of the tests on cubes, cylinders and notched prismatic samples made of plain HPC and fiber HPC (FHCP) with variable contents of steel or/and polypropylene fibers ranging from 0.25 % to 1 %. Extensive data on compressive, splitting and flexural tensile behaviors, modulus of elasticity and fracture energy were recorded and analyzed. The experimental investigations showed that HPC in fracture mode I exhibit brittle/softening behavior. The FHPC materials showed a more ductile behavior compared to that of the HPC materials. Fiber bridges cracked on the fracture surface during the loading and delayed cracking, thus the element did not break. The results of the bending tests showed an extended post-peak softening behavior. The shape of the descending branch was dependent on geometrical and mechanical properties as well as the quantity of the fibers used. The results of the research were evaluated and it was shown that the fibers contributed considerably to the structural integrity and stability of the HPC elements, thereby improving their durable service life.

Determination of Single Parameter for Serviceability Requirements of Fibre Reinforced Concrete: Study of Fracture Characteristics

IJRASET, 2021

This The influence of fibre reinforcement on crack propagation in concrete was studied. Thirty-five double torsion specimens, made with three types of fibres (fibre glass , straight steel fibres and deformed steel fibres) were tested. The variables were the fibre volume and size of the fibres. The test results indicated that the resistance to rapid crack growth increased somewhat with increasing fibre content up to about 1.25%-1.5% by volume. The degree of compaction had an enormous effect on the fracture properties .The fracture toughness increased with fibre content up to about 1.25% by volume, and then decreased , due to incomplete compaction. It was found that in this test geometry, fibres did not significantly restrain crack growth. It was also observed that once the crack had propagated down the full length of the specimen, the system changed from a continuous system to a discontinuous system, consisting of two separate plates held together by the fibre reinforcement. Different types of fibres did not significantly affect the fracture toughness.

Identification of fracture parameters of fiber reinforced concrete beams made of various binders

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021

Geopolymer concrete (GPC) is currently a hot research area. This work aims to study the fracture behavior of beam specimens with and without steel reinforcement and cast with different binders. Forty-eight notched-beams with dimensions of 100×150×1000 mm were used and tested in three-point bending loads. Different variables taken into consideration mainly, notch height (0, 50, 75 mm), reinforcement ratio (0%, 17%), replacement ratio of fly ash with cement (0%, 20%, 30%, 50%) in GPC, replacement ratio of cement with fly ash (0%, 50 %) in Portland cement concrete (PCC), polypropylene fibers content (0%, 0.5%, 0.75%). were studied. The loaddeflection, and crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) were considered as the characteristic responses at various stages of loading. Fracture Toughness (K IC), Fracture Energy (G F), Characteristic Length (Ɩ ch), Brittleness (B), J-Integral (J IC) were calculated to evaluate the fracture behavior of the beam specimens without reinforcement. Whereas, brittleness number (N P), dimensionless number (S), and the ratio of plastic moment / critical moment (M P /M F) were calculated to evaluate the fracture behavior of the beam specimens with reinforcement. The results revealed that, the GPCs exhibit similar behavior and fracture properties that those determined in PCCs. Hence, the inclusion of polypropylene fibers to different concrete mixtures noticeably enhanced their fracture properties, while the brittleness was reduced with the increase of the polypropylene fibers content.

Effects of fiber strength on fracture characteristics of normal and high strength concrete

Periodica Polytechnica Civil Engineering, 2013

The effects of steel fiber strength on the mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced concretes, such as compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, fracture energy and characteristics length have been investigated within the scope of this study. Steel fibers with two different tensile strength of 1100 and 2000 MPa, and two different volume fractions of 20 and 60 kg/m 3 were used in the production of normal and high strength concretes. Test results showed that the improvement of mechanical properties and fracture behavior by incorporation of high strength fibers is more significant in case of high strength concrete compared to normal strength concrete. This superior performance can be attributed to the lesser number of broken fibers and increased debonding process with increase of fiber strength.

Discrete fracture in high performance fibre reinforced concrete materials

Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 2011

In this paper a simple, but effective methodology to simulate opening mode fracture in high performance fibre reinforced concrete is presented. To obtain the specific fracture energy of the material, load-deflection curves from three point bending (TPB) experiments are extrapolated. The proposed extrapolation technique is an adaptation of an approach originally developed for plain concrete. The experimental part of the paper includes a size effect study on TPB specimens. The post crack behaviour of the material is modelled using a cohesive softening function with crack tip singularity. Numerical simulation of the experiments is performed by means of an embedded discontinuity method. The simulation provides satisfactory predictions of the fracture behaviour of the material and the size-effect observed in the experiments.

Influence of the Fibre Distribution and Orientation in the Fracture Behaviour of Polyolefin Fibre Reinforced Concrete

Polyolefin fibre reinforced concrete (PFRC) has become an attractive alternative to steel for the reinforcement of concrete elements mainly due to its chemical stability and the residual strengths that can be reached with lower weights. The use of polyolefin fibres can meet the requirements in the standards, although the main constitutive relations are based on the experience with steel fibres. Therefore, the structural contributions of the fibres should be assessed by inverse analysis. In this study, the fibre dosage has been fixed at 6kg/m³ and both self-compacting concrete and conventional concrete have been used to compare the influence of the positioning of the fibres. An idealized homogeneous distribution of the fibres with such fibres crossing from side to side of the specimen has been added to self-compacting concrete. The experimental results of three-point bending tests on notched specimens have been reproduced by using the cohesive crack approach. Hence, the constitu...

Fracture behavior of polymeric fiber reinforced lightweight structural concrete

Materials Research, 2014

A study has been made of the effect of short randomly dispersed polypropylene fibers on the fracture behavior of lightweight structural concrete. Using unnotched and precracked beams subjected to bend loading, it was possible to determine the toughness factor TF and to estimate specific J integral parameters, namely J IC and J Max corresponding to the onset of fracture initiation and to the attainment of ultimate load, respectively. The results have indicated a considerable improvement in the fracture behavior associated with the presence of fibers. More specifically this improvement was manifested by a 400% increase in both TF and J IC .

Modelling of the fracture toughness anisotropy in fiber reinforced concrete.PDF

Steel fiber reinforced concrete is potentially very promising material with unique properties, which currently is widely used in some applications, such as floors and concrete pavements. However, lack of robust and reliable models of fiber reinforced concrete fracture limits its application as structural material. In this work a numerical model is proposed for predicting the crack growth in fiber reinforced concrete. The mixing of the steel fibers with the concrete usually creates nonuniform fibers distribution with more fibers oriented in horizontal direction, than in vertical. Simple numerical models of fiber reinforced concrete require a priori knowledge of the crack growth direction in order to take into account bridging action of the fibers, which depends on the fibers orientation. In proposed model user defined elements are used to calculate the bridging force during the course of the analysis when the crack starts to grow. Cohesive elements were used to model the crack propagation in the concrete matrix. In cohesive zone model the cohesive elements are embedded between all solid elements to simulate the arbitrary crack path. The bridging effect of the fibers are modeled as nonlinear springs, where the stiffness of the springs is defined from experimentally measured pull-out force and the angle between the fiber and crack opening direction.