Mechanical Response of High Strength Fibre Reinforced Concrete Under Extreme Loads

High Strength Fibre Reinforced Concrete (HSFRC) presents great advantages when compared with conventional concrete under static loads and thus, it constitutes a promising material to withstand extreme loads. An experimental and numerical research carried out with the objective of developing design criteria for HSFRC use in protective structures construction is presented. The mechanical behaviour of HSFRC elements under extreme loads is experimentally and numerically analysed. Numerical models represent useful tools for the design of this type of HSFRC applications but they should be carefully calibrated and validated with experimental results. HSFRC prisms and slabs including different types of hooked-end steel fibres are tested under static, blast and impact loads. Material models at the meso and the macro scale are developed, they are calibrated with characterization tests and validated with experimental results. Experimental results are analysed with the aid of numerical models showing the effect of fibre type and content under extreme load. Numerical models are able to reproduce the blast and impact tests results and give additionally information about the local and structural response under impulsive loads that could be valuable for the design of protective structures.