Elucidation of Static Fracture Energy and Dynamic Tensile Performance of Hybrid Steel Fiber-Based Ultrahigh-Performance Concrete
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 9
Abstract
Ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) has great potential for applications in civil and military structures due to its outstanding performance and ability to withstand impact and blast load. This performance can be attributed mainly to the materials and their proportions, especially metallic fibers. Hence, understanding the behavior of UHPC under static and dynamic conditions through the effect of hybridization of steel fibers is essential. Compressive strength and flexural strength were studied in quasi-static mode. In flexural mode, strain characterization was done using a digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Fracture studies were also conducted with notches using a crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) technique. In high-strain mode, dynamic tensile strength was evaluated using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) with a Brazilian disk. Owing to optimized hybridization, enhancement in (1) toughness, (2) energy absorption, (3) crack-resistance capacity, (4) reserve strength, (5) limit of proportionality, (6) fracture energy, (7) stress intensity factor, (8) tensile strain carrying capacity, and (9) dynamic tensile strength were observed. In the process, other findings in relation to fracture, strain rate, and dynamic increase factor were also exemplified. The SHPB dynamic tensile test results, as well as the technical information provided regarding UHPC’s hybrid steel fibers’ strength, failure, and fracture behavior, can be used to improve the design of UHPC building structures to protect against impact and blast attacks.
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Data Availability Statement
No data, models, or code were generated or used during the study.
Acknowledgments
The Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) offered by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), the Government of India, is gratefully acknowledged. The authors also thank the lab support of Avant-Tech Lab and Research Centre Pvt. The authors also thank the support of Chryso India Private Limited for the supply of chemical admixtures. The authors also want to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions for improving the quality of the paper.
Author contributions: Nabodyuti Das contributed to the conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, resources, data curation, writing of the original draft, and the writing, reviewing, and editing of this paper. Bhaskar Ramagiri contributed to the methodology (SHPB), investigation (SHPB), and writing and editing (SHPB) of the paper. Prakash Nanthagopalan contributed to the conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing, and the supervision of the paper.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 9 • September 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Sep 20, 2022
Accepted: Feb 1, 2023
Published online: Jun 17, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 17, 2023
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