DESIGNING FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE BASED ON TOUGHNESS CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

It is noted that the growing success of steel fiber reinforced concrete has led to a variety of fibers being offered on the market. However, no special characteristics of steel fibers have been defined to aid the design of steel fiber concrete. The flexure behavior of fiber reinforced concrete is considered, and the toughness index as a design tool and its understanding are discussed, as well as the use of toughness ratings for design. According to the type of application, various requirements may be established with which the steel fiber concrete must comply. The article discusses requirements regarding minimum stength values, requirements regarding minimum strength values plus minimum flexural strength, and requirements regarding minimum energy absorption capacity. In each case the quantity of fiber needed to ensure that given reference concrete will comply with the relevant quality requirements can be inferred from an identity chart drawn up for a specific fiber type.