Crack Opening Evaluation and Sustainability Potential of Highly Flowable Strain-Hardening, Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (HF-SHFRC)

摘要

Highly flowable, strain-hardening fiber-reinforced concrete (HF-SHFRC) has good workability in the fresh state, and it exhibits the strain-hardening and multiple-cracking characteristics of high-performance, fiber-reinforced cementitious composites in the hardened state. HF-SHFRC can be easily manufactured and delivered by ready-mix trucks for cast-on-the-job sites. Structural large-scale test results from several research programs also showed that HF-SHFRC is effective in increasing shear strength, displacement capacity, and damage tolerance in members subjected to large inelastic deformations. The results of two tests, a long prismatic tensile test with continuous reinforcement and an in-plane pure shear panel test, are summarized in this paper. Relative to conventional concrete, HF-SHFRC not only demonstrates much better mechanical performance, but also presents reduced crack potential and excellent crack width control. These characteristics of HF-SHFRC can further diminish the need for repairs, rehabilitation, and maintenance after extreme loading events and give infrastructure a longer service life, which will eventually lower the life-cycle cost.