Indirect Tensile Behavior of Hooked-End Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete under Double-Punch Tests

The evaluation of the mechanical properties of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) with different types of fibers and dosages endorses new design recommendations for using several types of construction materials for structural elements. The double-punch test (DPT) offers procedural and economic advantages for evaluating the indirect tensile strength of the SFRC. The objective of this paper is to show and discuss the results of the mechanical characterization obtained experimentally for SFRC using the DPT, with different types of anchorage and fiber dosages. The variables of the study were the dosage of steel fibers (20, 40, and 60 kg/m(3)) and the number of hooks at the ends of the fiber (1, 1.5, and 2 hooks). The paper develops empirical models for predicting the tensile strength, residual strength, and toughness of SFRC subjected to the DPT without resorting to experimental tests. The models were developed considering the trends of 385 results: 108 from 40 DPTs measured in this study, and 277 from 23 DPTs available in the literature.