Probabilistic numerical model of cracking in ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) beams subjected to shear loading

The objective of this paper is to verify the validity of the probabilistic explicit cracking model developed for SFRC to simulate the behaviour of a reinforced UHPFRC beam subjected to a bending load leading to shear failure. The relevancy of the model is evaluated through the simulation of the mechanical behaviour of the beam. The parameters characterizing the tensile behaviour of the studied UHPFRC are determined from the 3-point bending tests performed on beams sawed from the reinforced UHPFRC beam. The results suggest that the probabilistic explicit cracking model is relevant to analyze the mechanical behaviour of a reinforced UHPFRC beam and provide precise information about the cracking process of this type of material. The good agreement between the experimental result and the numerical simulations suggests that the studied UHPFRC behaves like usual FRC as the tensile strength and the mechanical effect of the fibres may be modelled by a perfectly brittle behaviour and a nonlinear softening behaviour.