Constitutive model for steel fiber reinforced concrete under shear and tension accounting for fiber orientation effect

Abstract

This paper presents a constitutive model for the behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) under mixed mode cracking taking into account the fiber orientation effect by using a micromechanical approach. Firstly, the resistant mechanisms of an inclined fiber are modeled by a closed-form analytical function. The bridging force is calculated by integrating on the cracked surface, the product of the fiber extraction force by its orientation probability. A modified model of the aggregate interlock mechanism is combined with the fiber bridging stresses to obtain the cohesive stresses. This mesoscale model is then extended using an elastic damage model and a fixed smeared cracking concept to assess the structural behavior. The model is finally implemented in a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, its performance is tested with some experimental results collected in the literature. The model successfully integrates the fiber orientation effect and shows a good prediction of stress transmission.

Keywords:

• Steel fiber reinforced concrete
• mixed-mode crack displacement
• fibers orientation effect
• micromechanical model
• fiber pullout

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to the” Société du Grand Paris” for the funding of the research project. The support of Bonna Sabla and Eiffage Construction in providing the SFRC specimens that will be further used for the model calibration is also appreciated.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [email protected], upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.