Fracture behavior of concrete members reinforced with structural synthetic fibers

Proposed is a realistic method of analysis for the post-cracking behavior of newly-developed structural synthetic fiber reinforced concrete beams. The optimum shape of structural synthetic fiber was determined first on the basis of energy-absorption capacities from pullout tests. In order to predict the post-cracking behavior, pullout behavior of single fiber is identified by tests and employed in the model together with the realistic stress–strain behavior of concrete in compression and tension. A probabilistic approach is used to calculate the effective number of fibers across the crack faces and to calculate the probability of non-pullout failure of fibers. The proposed theory is compared with test data and shows good agreement. The proposed test results and theory can be efficiently used to predict the load–deflection behavior, moment–curvature relation and load–crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) relation of synthetic fiber reinforced concrete beams.