Study of strength durability models for GRC: Theoretical overview

Durability of glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRC) remains a widely studied topic, despite significant material optimization over recent decades. Evaluation of strength durability normally employs accelerated ageing tests involving immersion of specimens in water at a range of temperatures for various durations. These results are then used to calibrate a number of strength durability models available in the literature. Here we present an overview of some of these models, all based on similar assumptions regarding the fundamental strength loss process, examining their robustness. First, the calibration procedure is examined; secondly the influence of quantity and quality of accelerated ageing test results on the determination of model parameters is discussed. The solution spaces are inspected for multiple minima which might lead to non-unique solutions of model parameters for a given test scheme. Parameter studies are also performed in order to establish whether some models are prone to inherent calibration problems.