Study of the distribution and orientation of fibers in SFRC specimens

In steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC), the fibers are generally considered to be oriented isotropically. However, it is known that the procedures used in the specimen fabrication during quality control and material characterization may influence the distribution of the fibers significantly. This has an important effect on the properties determined from the specimens, which has to be considered when the results are used to analyze the behavior of other elements. In the present work, the orientation and segregation of fibers in cylindrical specimens and prisms, which are normally used in the mechanical characterization of SFRC, are evaluated. The type of compaction (i.e., table vibration, hand tamping and internal vibration) is seen to have a considerable influence on the distribution of the fibers. In the prisms, table vibration increases the tendency for the fibers to be oriented horizontally. In the cylindrical specimens, hand tamping appears to cause the least non-uniformity of the fiber distribution. The study was conducted on conventional concretes with 40 kg/m³ of fibers.     

Cracking behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with a combination of ordinary reinforcement and steel fibers

The paper presents an experimental and theoretical study on the cracking behaviour of concrete beams having longitudinal tension reinforcement and various combinations of volume and aspect ratio of steel fibers. Five full-scale beams with a concrete compressive strength of 42 MPa were tested. The mechanical properties of the steel fiber concrete under tension were determined by means of the four-point bending test specified in the Belgian standard NBN B15-238. The experimental results show that the addition of steel fibers decreases both the crack spacing and the crack width. A modification of the model of Nemegeeret al. to predict crack widths is suggested.     

Study of the degradation of non-conventional MgO-SiO2 cement reinforced with lignocellulosic fibers

This paper assesses the use of low alkaline composites based on magnesium oxide and silica (MgO-SiO₂) cement and reinforced with cellulose fibers for the production of thin elements to resist bending loads. The strategy adopted was to study the durability of lignocellulosic fibers in a lower pH environment than the ordinary Portland cement (OPC), by comparing the flexural performance of samples at 28 days and after 200 accelerated ageing cycles. Two types of vegetable fibers were used: eucalyptus and pine pulps. For both types of fibers, composites made out of MgO-SiO₂ cement after ageing treatment show a better mechanical performance than OPC samples (modulus of rupture of ∼10.5 and 9 MPa respectively). When used in MgO-SiO₂ cement matrices, eucalyptus fibers offer excellent specific energy (SE) values (∼5 kJ/m²) compared to OPC samples in which SE drastically decreases after ageing from 4.97 kJ/m² to 0.14 kJ/m². The preservation of the reinforcing capacity of the composite materials after ageing was also proved by SEM techniques. In the light of the results, the use of MgO-SiO₂ cements is an effective way to apply cellulosic fibers as reinforcement in fiber-cement products since no signs of degradation were found, even improving flexural properties over time.     

BFRP筋钢纤维高强混凝土梁受弯承载力试验与理论

通过11根玄武岩纤维增强聚合物复合材料（BFRP）筋钢纤维高强混凝土梁的受弯性能试验,研究了钢纤维混凝土层厚度、钢纤维体积分数和BFRP筋配筋率对BFRP筋钢纤维高强混凝土梁受弯破坏形态及其承载力的影响。结果表明,BFRP筋钢纤维高强混凝土梁的破坏模式可分为受压破坏、受拉破坏和平衡破坏3种;钢纤维混凝土层厚度和钢纤维体积分数的变化对于BFRP筋钢纤维高强混凝土梁受弯承载力具有一定程度的影响,当BFRP筋配筋率为0.77%时,掺加体积分数为1.0%钢纤维的梁受弯承载力较无钢纤维梁提高了22.7%,在受拉区0.57倍截面高度内掺加1.0vol%钢纤维的梁受弯承载力达到全截面钢纤维混凝土梁受弯承载力的86.7%;增大BFRP筋配筋量可显著提高BFRP筋钢纤维高强混凝土梁的受弯承载力,BFRP筋配筋率为1.65%的试验梁受弯承载力较配筋率为0.56%的试验梁提高了39.4%。针对不同的破坏模式,提出了BFRP筋钢纤维高强混凝土梁受弯承载力和平衡配筋率的计算方法,并结合安全配筋率的概念对试验梁的破坏模式进行了预测,试验结果与分析结果吻合良好。     

Relationship between fiber orientation/distribution and post-cracking behaviour in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)

The relationship between fiber orientation/distribution and post-cracking behaviour in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) was quantitatively evaluated. A circular UHPFRC panel was cast from its center and prismatic specimens were cut at angles of 0, 30, 60 and 90° between the specimen axis and the radial direction of the panel. The post-cracking behaviour was assessed with three-point bending tests, and fiber orientation/distribution throughout the panel was then evaluated using image analysis and 3D visualization of fiber orientation based on X-ray computed tomography (CT) data. The post-cracking flexural strengths of the specimens cut at angles of 60, 30 and 0° were 80, 40 and 10% of that for the specimens cut at an angle of 90°, indicating perfect linear dependence on the contribution of fibers near the fracture surfaces. Two rectangular UHPFRC panels with a 1:2 width/length ratio were cast, and similar fiber orientation characteristics were found for the circular and rectangular panels.     

Flexural strength of reinforced concrete T-beams with steel fibers

The ultimate strength of reinforced concrete T-beams reinforced with conventional steel bars and short discontinuous steel fibers are studied. It is found that the presence of steel fibers reduced effectively the deflection, width of cracks and also improved the ductility and flexural rigidity of the concrete beams. Hence, an appreciable increase to the ultimate compressive strain is observed as well as the increase in the ultimate compressive strength. These are reflected by an increase in the value of the compressive block parameters. In addition, an increase in tensile strength is achieved and a rectangular tensile stress distribution is proposed. It was found that a negligible difference in moment capacity between overreinforced and underreinforced concrete beams. Therefore, it may be economical to use more amount of tension reinforcement than that allowed by the codes. Theoretical equations are developed to calculate the ultimate strength of reinforced concrete T-beams taking into account the effect of amount of compression reinforcement and amount of steel fibers. Theoretical equations show good agreement when compared with experimental results.     

Response of steel fiber reinforced high strength concrete beams: Experiments and code predictions

The shear-flexure response of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams was investigated.Thirty-six reinforced concrete beams with and without conventional shear reinforcement (stirrups) were tested under a four-point bending configuration to study the effectiveness of steel fibers on shear and flexural strengths, failure mechanisms, crack control, and ductility.The major factors considered were compressive strength (normal strength and high strength concrete up to 100 MPa), shear span-effective depth ratio (a/d = 1.5, 2.5, 3.5), and web reinforcement (none, stirrups and/or steel fibers).The response of RC beams was evaluated based on the results of crack patterns, load at first cracking, ultimate shear capacity, and failure modes.The experimental evidence showed that the addition of steel fibers improves the mechanical response, i.e., flexural and shear strengths and the ductility of the flexural members.Finally, the most recent code-based shear resistance predictions for SFRC beams were considered to discuss their reliability with respect to the experimental findings. The crack pattern predictions are also reviewed based on the major factors that affect the results.     

钢-聚丙烯纤维增强人造花岗岩复合材料的制备与性能

为深入研究钢-聚丙烯纤维增强人造花岗岩复合材料（钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩）抗压、抗弯强度的影响因素,通过排水法实验研究了骨料堆积的空隙率,确定了骨料级配和实验指数q并对大量试件进行了抗压、抗弯强度测试,分析了钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩复合材料各组分质量分数、骨料堆积空隙率等因素对钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩复合材料抗压、抗弯强度的影响。实验结果表明:钢纤维与聚丙烯纤维能够明显增大钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩复合材料的抗弯强度,随着钢-聚丙烯纤维质量分数的增加,钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩复合材料试件的抗压和抗弯强度都逐渐增大;当钢纤维与聚丙烯纤维质量比为30∶1、钢-聚丙烯纤维质量分数为1.7wt%时,钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩复合材料试件的抗压强度达到最大,当钢-聚丙烯纤维质量分数为1.9wt%时,钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩试件的抗弯强度达到最大;黏结剂质量分数越接近骨料堆积空隙率,钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩复合材料试件的抗压和抗弯强度越大,当骨料质量分数为80wt%、黏结剂质量分数为11wt%时,钢-聚丙烯纤维/人造花岗岩复合材料试件的抗压、抗弯强度同时达到最大。      

Experimental investigation on the mechanical behaviour of the fiber reinforced high-performance concrete tunnel segment

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the composite effect of macro steel fiber and steel rebar on the mechanical behaviour of tunnel segment with fiber reinforced high-performance concrete (FRHPC). A new experimental method is used for simulating the loading state of the tunnel segment. The experiment including several symmetric-inclination beams with various steel ratios and fiber contents has been carried out. The results indicate that the addition of 50 kg/m³ steel fibers can partly replace the shear reinforcement, and increases the ultimate load and the energy absorption capacity as well as the toughness. The combination of steel fibers and steel rebars illustrates synergistic response and indicates an optimal choice of reinforcement for tunnel segment.     

Flexural behavior of geopolymer composites reinforced with steel and polypropylene macro fibers

Like ordinary Portland cement concrete, the matrix brittleness in geopolymer composites can be reduced by introducing appropriate fiber reinforcement. Several studies on fiber reinforced geopolymer composites are available, however there is still a gap to understand and optimize their performance. This paper presents the flexural behavior of fly ash-based geopolymer composites reinforced with different types of macro steel and polypropylene fibers with higher aspect ratio. Three types (length-deformed, end-deformed and straight) of steel fibers and another type of length-deformed polypropylene fiber with optimum fiber volume fraction of 0.5% are studied. The effects of different geometries of the fibers, curing regimes (ambient cured and heat cured at 60 °C for 24 h) and concentration of NaOH activator (10 M and 12 M) on the first peak strength, modulus of rupture and toughness of the geopolymer composites are investigated. The quantitative effect of fiber geometry on geopolymer composite performance was also analyzed through a fiber deformation ratio. The compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural toughness are significantly improved with macro fibers reinforcement and heat curing. The results also show that heat curing increases the first peak load of all fiber-reinforced geopolymers composites. End-deformed steel fibers exhibit the most ductile flexural response compared to other steel fibers in both heat and ambient-cured fiber reinforced geopolymer composites.     

Combined effect of silica fume and steel fibers on the impact resistance and mechanical properties of concrete

This study investigated the impact resistance and mechanical properties of steel fiber-reinforced concrete with water–cement ratios of 0.46 and 0.36, with and without the addition of silica fume. Hooked steel fibers with 60-mm length and an aspect ratio of 80, with three volume fractions of 0%, 0.5%, and 1% were used as the reinforcing material. In pre-determined mixtures, silica fume is used as a cement replacement material at 8% weight of cement. The experimental results show that incorporation steel fibers improve the strength performance of concrete, particularly the splitting tensile and the flexural strengths. A remarkable improvement was observed in impact resistance of the fibrous concretes, as compared with the reference materials. The results demonstrate that when steel fiber is introduced into the specimens including silica fume, the impact resistance and the ductility of the resulting concrete are considerably increased.     

Influence of concrete matrix and type of fiber on the shear behavior of self-compacting fiber reinforced concrete beams

Steel fibers are known to improve shear behavior. The Design Codes (Eurocode 2 (EC2), Spanish EHE-08, Model Code 2010 and RILEM approach) have developed formulas to calculate the fiber contribution to shear, mainly focused on standard FRCs, i.e. medium strength concretes with a low content of normal strength steel fibers. However, in real applications other combinations are possible, such as high or medium strength concretes with high strength steel fibers of different lengths and geometry. An experimental program consisting of 12 self-compacting fiber reinforced concrete (SCFRC) I-type beams was carried out. All the beams had the same geometry and fiber content (50 kg/m³), and they were made with two different concrete compressive strength values and five different types of steel fibers and were tested for shear. The main conclusions reached were that the type of fiber substantially affects shear behavior, even when the Design Code formulas indicate similar contributions. The combination of high strength concrete matrixes with low strength fibers does not seem to be efficient. Also, the use of high residual flexural tensile strength values (e.g. f_R3 or f_R4) does not appear to be the most accurate reference value to calculate the beam shear strength in these cases. The present Design Codes consider standard FRCs, but their formulas should be revised for concretes with fibers of different strengths, slenderness and geometry, since these properties substantially affect shear behavior.     

Behaviour of fiber reinforced concrete columns in fire

This paper presents the results of a research program on the behaviour of fiber reinforced concrete columns in fire. Several fire resistance tests on fiber concrete columns with restrained thermal elongation were carried out. The percentage of steel reinforcing bars on the testing columns varied in function of the percentage of steel fibers being always the total amount of steel (steel fibers + steel reinforcement) similar. The aim of this research was to study the possibility of replacing the longitudinal reinforcement bars on the concrete columns by steel fibers. Furthermore, polypropylene fibers were also used on the concrete in order to enhance the fire behaviour of the columns and avoid the concrete spalling. Polypropylene fibers under fire action will create a network of micro-channels for the escape of the water vapour.     

Reinforcement of wood with natural fibers

This paper describes an experimental programme which examines the reinforcement in flexure of timber beams with composite materials based on natural fibers in the form of fabrics made from hemp, flax, basalt and bamboo fibers. The industrial use of natural fibers has been continuously increasing since 1990s due to their advantages in terms of production costs, pollution emissions and energy consumption for production and disposal. The technique allows the reinforcement of the intrados of beams, avoiding the dismantling of the overlying part of the structure with significant savings in terms of costs and work time. The test program consists of three phases incorporating 45 beams. The bending tests on the wooden elements made it possible to measure the increase in capacity and stiffness resulting from the composite reinforcement. This was applied to beams, creating different arrangements and using different quantities (number of layers). Despite the diversity of the various tests carried out, the results obtained in some cases showed significant increases in terms of load-carrying capacity and in deflection ductility.     

Bending behavior of mortar reinforced with steel meshes and polymeric fibers

The main purpose of this research was to study the effects of combining reinforcing steel meshes with discontinuous fibers as reinforcement in thin walled Portland cement based mortar beams. The term ‘thin’ implies thicknesses of less than about 25 mm. The underlying idea behind this combination is to satisfy the ultimate strength limit state through the steel mesh reinforcement (main reinforcement) and to control cracking under service loads through fiber reinforcement (secondary reinforcement).

An extensive experimental program with bending tests was undertaken. Specimens were 127 × 457 × 12.7 mm. The following variables were investigated: (a) the reference mesh size — 25.4 × 25.4 mm and 50.8 × 50.8 mm; (b) the transverse wire spacing — 25.4 mm, 50.8 mm, and no transverse wires; (c) the type of fibers — polyvinylalcohol (PVA) and polypropylene (PP); and (d) the fiber volume fraction — 1 and 2% for PVA fibers, and 0.5 and 1% for PP fibers.

Some of the main conclusions are: (a) for the same fiber volume fraction, the use of PVA fibers led to a better overall performance than that of PP fibers; (b) an increase in cracking moment and a decrease in crack spacing was observed when 1% PVA, 2% PVA, and 1% PP fibers were used; (c) when 0.5% PP fiber was used, no noticeable change in behavior was observed in comparison to specimens without fibers; and (d) for 1% PVA fibers the transverse wire spacing had little effect on the crack spacing and for 2% PVA fibers, the transverse wire had no influence.     

Study on dynamic and mechanical characteristics of carbon fiber- and polyamide fiber-reinforced seismic isolators

Seismic isolators are used to decrease the energy and forces of earthquakes. The weight of conventional steel-reinforced elastomeric isolators (SREIs) is high, mostly due to the use of multiple steel shim plates. On the contrary, the damping ratio of SREIs is relatively low. Accordingly, this research utilizes a new approach in which the steel shim plates are replaced by carbon and polyamide fibers. This study attempts to obtain the dynamic and mechanical properties of such carbon fiber- and polyamide fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators, in comparison with SREIs. In this work, a number of specimens were initially designed and manufactured. Afterwards, compression and cyclic shear tests were performed on them. In the shear tests, due to the limitations of the testing machine, a constant vertical load was not applied. All three types of isolator specimen were cylindrical, with identical diameter and height. The steel-, carbon fiber-, and polyamide fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolator specimens had 16, 23, and 23 reinforcement layers, respectively. To decrease the effect of manufacturing errors on the dynamic and mechanical characteristics of the specimens, 6 samples of each isolator type were manufactured, i.e., a total of 18 samples. The outcome of the experiments revealed that the use of flexible reinforcement resulted in a damping increase of up to 20 and 30 % for the carbon fiber- and polyamide fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators, respectively. Furthermore, the carbon fiber design provides more reasonable performance for the isolators compared with the use of polyamide fiber.     

冲击回波法检测水工混凝土耐久性的试验研究

研究了冲击回波法用于混凝土棱柱体试件动弹性模量的测试情况,发现测试的波速为理论的一维P波波速,且获取混凝土动弹性模量的方法在本质上与传统的共振法是一致的。采用冲击回波法检测混凝土试件在冻融循环中波速的变化,与共振法测试的自振频率的变化进行对比研究,总结其内在规律,最终换算到相对动弹性模量的下降值来评价混凝土的抗冻性。初步的试验和理论分析的结果表明,利用冲击回波法进行水工混凝土抗冻性检测的方法切实可行,可用于水工混凝土的耐久性评估。     

Influence of various starch/hemp mixtures on mechanical and acoustical behavior of starch-hemp composite materials

The starch-hemp composite materials are manufactured from the natural raw materials (water, starch and hemp shives) and a new durable material for construction and building. In this work, experimental investigation was carried out to study the mechanical and acoustical performance of starch-hemp composite materials. The starch-hemp composite materials specimens with five Hemp/Starch ratios (H/S = 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14), were manufactured by using the optimal binder and two hemp shives (0–15 mm and 0–20 mm). Density of the starch-hemp composite materials varies with the H/S ratio. The dry density for the starch-hemp composite materials is lower, between 163.6 kg/m³ and 169.1 kg/m³ in case of the hemp shives 0–15 mm and between 168.1 kg/m³ and 174.3 kg/m³ for the hemp shives 0–20 mm. The relation between stress and strain of the composite materials is not linear. The ultimate compressive stress can reach 0.55 MPa and the compressive strain is up to 30%. The results obtained by test show that the tensile strength depends strongly on the Hemp/Starch ratio and the hemp shives sizes. The variation of elasticity modulus and Poisson's ratio in function of the H/S ratio was also analyzed in this paper. The mechanism of the cracks or failure of the specimens was studied by using ARAMIS optical system. The study on acoustical behavior shows that the starch-hemp composite materials are a good sound absorber material for medium and high frequencies with a value around 0.7. The influence of the H/S ratio on the absorption coefficient is small. The results show that the starch-hemp composite materials have a good mechanical and acoustical performance and can be used as building materials.     

Surface modification of fiber reinforced polymer composites and their attachment to bone simulating material

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of fiber orientation of a fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) made of poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) and E-glass to the surface fabrication process by solvent dissolution. Intention of the dissolution process was to expose the fibers and create a macroporous surface onto the FRC to enhance bone bonding of the material. The effect of dissolution and fiber direction to the bone bonding capability of the FRC material was also tested. Three groups of FRC specimens (n = 18/group) were made of PMMA and E-glass fiber reinforcement: (a) group with continuous fibers parallel to the surface of the specimen, (b) continuous fibers oriented perpendicularly to the surface, (c) randomly oriented short (discontinuous) fibers. Fourth specimen group (n = 18) made of plain PMMA served as controls. The specimens were subjected to a solvent treatment by tetrahydrofuran (THF) of either 5, 15 or 30 min of time (n = 6/time point), and the advancement of the dissolution (front) was measured. The solvent treatment also exposed the fibers and created a surface roughness on to the specimens. The solvent treated specimens were embedded into plaster of Paris to simulate bone bonding by mechanical locking and a pull-out test was undertaken to determine the strength of the attachment. All the FRC specimens dissolved as function of time, as the control group showed no marked dissolution during the study period. The specimens with fibers along the direction of long axis of specimen began to dissolve significantly faster than specimens in other groups, but the test specimens with randomly oriented short fibers showed the greatest depth of dissolution after 30 min. The pull-out test showed that the PMMA specimens with fibers were retained better by the plaster of Paris than specimens without fibers. However, direction of the fibers considerably influenced the force of attachment. The fiber reinforcement increases significantly the dissolution speed, and the orientation of the glass fibers has great effect on the dissolving depth of the polymer matrix of the composite, and thus on the exposure of fibers. The glass fibers exposed by the solvent treatment enhanced effectively the attachment of the specimen to the bone modeling material.     

Bond between deformed reinforcement and normal and high-strength concrete with and without fibers

This paper describes an experimental study that consisted of pullout tests of deformed reinforcing bars in NSC and HSC specimens, with and without hooked-end steel fibers. Two types of test setups were applied, direct and flexural tests, and three bar diameters were tested (8, 12 and 20 mm). The experimental setups were based on standard RILEM pullout (direct) and beam tests, with several modifications. The experimental program included study of the effects of concrete strength and inclusion of steel fibers on the bond strength, as well as the influence of bar geometry and concrete cover. Discussion of the results shows coupling of these effects and proposes an empirical expression that represents this coupling. The results from the current study are also compared with the design bond strengths specified in American and European standards as well as a known model.