Fracture behavior of concrete members reinforced with structural synthetic fibers

Proposed is a realistic method of analysis for the post-cracking behavior of newly-developed structural synthetic fiber reinforced concrete beams. The optimum shape of structural synthetic fiber was determined first on the basis of energy-absorption capacities from pullout tests. In order to predict the post-cracking behavior, pullout behavior of single fiber is identified by tests and employed in the model together with the realistic stress-strain behavior of concrete in compression and tension. A probabilistic approach is used to calculate the effective number of fibers across the crack faces and to calculate the probability of non-pullout failure of fibers. The proposed theory is compared with test data and shows good agreement. The proposed test results and theory can be efficiently used to predict the load-deflection behavior, moment-curvature relation and load-crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) relation of synthetic fiber reinforced concrete beams. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.