Behavior of high performance fiber reinforced cement composites under multi-axial compressive loading

Experiments were conducted to better understand the behavior of strain hardening, high performance fiber reinforced cement composites (HPFRCC) when subjected to uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial compression. The experimental parameters were: type of fiber, fiber volume fraction, and loading path. Two types of commercially available fibers, namely high-strength hooked steel fiber and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, with volume fractions ranging from 1.0% to 2.0%, were used in a 55-MPa mortar matrix. The selected loading paths consisted of uniaxial compression and tension, equal biaxial compression, and triaxial compression with two levels of lateral compression. The test results revealed that the inclusion of short fibers can significantly increase both strength and ductility under uniaxial and biaxial loading paths, but that the role of volume fraction is rather small for the range of fiber volume contents considered. The results also showed that the confining effect introduced by the fibers becomes minor in triaxial compression tests, where there is relatively high external confining pressure. The experimental information documented herein can serve as input for the development of multiaxial constitutive models for HPFRCCs.