Mechanical Properties of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

This paper presents the results from an experimental program and an analytical assessment of the influence of addition of fibers on mechanical properties of concrete. Models derived based on the regression analysis of 60 test data for various mechanical properties of steel fiber-reinforced concrete have been presented. The various strength properties studied are cube and cylinder compressive strength, split tensile strength, modulus of rupture and postcracking performance, modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio, and strain corresponding to peak compressive stress. The variables considered are grade of concrete, namely, normal strength $\left(35\mathrm{MPa}\right)$ , moderately high strength $\left(65\mathrm{MPa}\right)$ , and high-strength concrete $\left(85\mathrm{MPa}\right)$ , and the volume fraction of the fiber ( $V_f=0.0$ , 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%). The strength of steel fiber-reinforced concrete predicted using the proposed models have been compared with the test data from the present study and with various other test data reported in the literature. The proposed model predicted the test data quite accurately. The study indicates that the fiber matrix interaction contributes significantly to enhancement of mechanical properties caused by the introduction of fibers, which is at variance with both existing models and formulations based on the law of mixtures.