Optimized quality control procedure with the Barcelona test and the inductive method for FRC

摘要

The optimization of resources and materials with the objective of cutting costs has a great relevance at all stages of the design of a structure, including the quality control. In fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC), the three-point bending tests are performed routinely as means of quality control to determine the residual strength. Nevertheless, the high scatter of its results and its complex setup requiring special equipment encourages the use of alternative tests to determine the post-peak strength of FRC. In this respect, the Barcelona test arises as an alternative method to characterize FRC due to a more reduced variability of the results, a lower concrete consumption and the simplicity of its execution. Moreover, the inherent heterogeneity of FRC directly affects the content of fibers within the concrete, which is one of the main factors governing the post-cracking strength of FRC. In this regard, the inductive method is proposed as a complementary test to assess the content of fibres during quality control using the same specimens to be tested under the Barcelona test. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to present a methodology to correlate the three-point bending test with the Barcelona test and show the feasibility of using the latter as an alternative method. Furthermore, the combination of the Barcelona test with the inductive method leads to a more complete characterisation of FRC.