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Strain-hardening UHP-FRC with low fiber contents

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Abstract

This research work focuses on the optimization of strength and ductility of ultra high performance fiber reinforced concretes (UHP-FRC) under direct tensile loading. An ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) with a compressive strength of 200 MPa (29 ksi) providing high bond strength between fiber and matrix was developed. In addition to the high strength smooth steel fibers, currently used for typical UHP-FRC, high strength deformed steel fibers were used in this study to enhance the mechanical bond and ductility. The study first shows that, with appropriate high strength steel fibers, a fiber volume fraction of 1% is sufficient to trigger strain hardening behavior accompanied by multiple cracking, a characteristic essential to achieve high ductility. By improving both the matrix and fiber parameters, an UHP-FRC with only 1.5% deformed steel fibers by volume resulted in an average tensile strength of 13 MPa (1.9 ksi) and a maximum post-cracking strain of 0.6%.

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Acknowledgments

The first author would like to acknowledge the support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for awarding him a fellowship within the Postdoc-Programme. The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the US National Science Foundation under grant No. CMS 0754505. Sincere thanks are also due to the following companies for providing free materials for this study: BASF Construction Chemicals, Bekaert, Holcim (US) Inc., Elkem Materials, Grace Construction Products, Lehigh Cement Company, Sika Corporation. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, 2316 G.G. Brown Building, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2125, USA

    Kay Wille

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sejong University, 98 Gunja-Dong, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul, 143-747, Republic of Korea

    Dong Joo Kim

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, 2340 G.G. Brown Building, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2125, USA

    Antoine E. Naaman

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  1. Kay Wille
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  2. Dong Joo Kim
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  3. Antoine E. Naaman
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Correspondence to Kay Wille.

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Wille, K., Kim, D.J. & Naaman, A.E. Strain-hardening UHP-FRC with low fiber contents. Mater Struct 44, 583–598 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-010-9650-4

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