Initial study on the tensile creep of cracked steel fibre reinforced concrete

Author(s): C.J. Mouton, W.P. Boshoff
Paper category: Conference
Book title: 8th RILEM International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Concrete: challenges and opportunities (BEFIB 2012)
Editor(s): Joaquim A.O. Barros
Print ISBN: 978-2-35158-132-2
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-133-9
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Pages: 326 - 337
Total Pages: 11
Language: English

Abstract: Steel fibres are being used increasingly as an alternative for conventional steel reinforcing in concrete. Steel fibres increase the post-cracking tensile capacity of concrete, typically changing the mechanical behaviour from quasi-brittle to quasi-ductile. This allows structural designers to utilise the tensile strength of concrete where the tensile capacity of conventional concrete is typically disregarded in structural design. The tensile creep of cracked SFRC (Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete) is however a concern as the time-dependant fibre pull-out could result in significant crack width increase, increase in deflection and even creep fracture. Results of preliminary tests of the tensile creep of cracked SFRC are reported in this paper. These results were used to model the long-term deflection of a cracked SFRC beam in flexure. It was found that the time-dependant crack width increase can result in an increased creep deflection as much as 265 %. However, this requires further investigation and is part of an ongoing research project at Stellenbosch University.

Online publication: 2013
Publication Type: full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00