International Concrete Abstracts Portal

SP142 Fiber reinforced concrete is concrete made primarily of hydraulic cements, aggregates, and discrete reinforcing fibers. This definition does not include a provision for concretes reinforced with continuous meshes, woven fabrics, or continuous fiber networks. To address all potential types of fiber reinforced concrete, ACI has produced "Fiber Reinforced Concrete Developments and Innovations." Fifteen papers address: - Comparison of Shrinkage Cracking Performance of Different Types of Fibers and Wiremesh - The Effect of Low Addition Rates of Polypropylene Fibers on Plastic Shrinkage Cracking and Mechanical Properties of Concrete - Toughness of Slurry Infiltrated Fibrous Concrete (SIFCON) - Tensile and Compressive Strengths of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete - Durability Characteristics of Cellulose Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites - Carbon Fiber Reinforced Cements: Structures, Performance, Applications and Research Needs - Flexural Behavior of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Cement Composite - Shear Capacity of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Based on Plasticity of Concretes: A Review - Influence of Test Control on the Load-Deflection Behavior of FRC - Shear Behavior of Laboratory-Sized High Strength Concrete Beams Reinforced with Bars and Steel Fibers - Behavior of Fiber Reinforced High Strength Concrete Under Direct Shear - Ultra High Performance Reinforced Concrete - Constitutive Modeling of Fiber Reinforced Concrete - Analytical Deflection Evaluation of Partially Prestressed Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams - Dynamic Tension Fatigue Performance of Fibrous Concrete Composites

Reports on an investigation on the behavior of high-strength concrete beams (with concrete compression strength equal to 11,600 psi or 80 MPa), with and without steel fiber reinforcement, to determine their diagonal cracking strength as well as nominal shear strength. Experimental data on the shear strength of steel fiber reinforced high-strength concrete beams are currently scarce to nonexistent. Twenty-two beam specimens were tested under monotonically increasing loads applied at midspan. The major test parameters included the volumetric ratio of steel fibers, the shear span-to-depth ratio, the amount of longitudinal reinforcement, and the amount of shear reinforcement. It was found that steel fiber reinforced high-strength concrete beams effectively resist abrupt shear failure. Such beams exhibit higher cracking loads and energy-absorption capabilities than comparable high-strength concrete beams without fibers. Empirical prediction equations are suggested for evaluating the diagonal cracking strength as well as nominal shear strength of steel fiber reinforced high-strength concrete beams.

An innovative technique for reinforcing concrete to achieve extremely high flexural strengths has been developed. This technique utilizes a steel fiber mat instead of short, discrete steel fibers. The mat configuration is preplaced for infiltration with a concrete slurry to yield a composite with flexural strengths approaching ten times that of conventional concrete. Applications include high-performance bridge decks, earthquake-resistant structures, nuclear waste containment, military applications, and other innovative uses in which flexural strength is at a premium. Stainless steel mats or other advanced alloys can be provided where corrosion resistance or high temperature strength are required.

This research was specifically designed to test concrete in direct tension. Concrete prism specimens measured 4 x 4 x 16 in. in length. The specimens were first tested under monotonic loading conditions to determine ultimate stress-strain relationships. Samples were also tested under low-frequency high cyclic loading conditions to simulate concrete fatigue. Fibrous concrete containing steel, polypropylene, and composite fiber reinforcement made up the test groups. A closed-loop hydraulic test machine was used to develop a testing procedure to measure the monotonic and cyclic tension responses of fiber reinforced concrete. This procedure proved successful in determining the stress-strain relationship and cyclic behavior of the fiber reinforced concrete. The concrete evaluation included monitoring concrete in the plastic state. Concrete temperature, slump, air content, mix design, and mixing time were carefully controlled. The long-term concrete curing period lasted 150 days. The testing of cured samples included mechanical testing, statistical treatment evaluation, and scanning electron microscope analysis. The fiber reinforced concrete and composite fiber specimens provided substantial performance improvement when compared to the plain concrete specimens.

Concrete structures shrink when they are subjected to a drying environment. If this shrinkage is restrained, then tensile stresses develop and concrete may crack. One of the methods to reduce the adverse effects of shrinkage cracking is to reinforce concrete with short randomly distributed fibers. Another possible method is the use of wire mesh. The efficiency of fibers and wire mesh to arrest cracks in cementitious composites was studied. Different types of fibers (steel, polypropylene, and cellulose) with fiber content of 0.25 and 0.5 percent by volume of concrete were examined. Ring-type specimens were used for restrained shrinkage cracking tests. These fibers and wire mesh show significant reduction in crack width. Steel fiber reinforced concrete (0.5 percent addition) showed 80 percent reduction in maximum crack width and up to 90 percent reduction in average crack width. Concrete reinforced with 0.5 percent polypropylene or cellulose fibers was as effective as 0.25 percent steel fibers or wire mesh reinforced concrete (about 70 percent reduction in maximum and average crack width). Other properties, such as free (unrestrained) shrinkage and compressive strength were also investigated.