Crack Offset Corrections to Post-crack Performance Parameters Obtained from Third-point Loaded Fiber Reinforced Shotcrete Beams

Abstract

Abstract Fiber Reinforced Shotcrete (FRS) is used as an economically competitive method of ground support in tunnel excavations throughout the world. Fibres are incorporated into this material to impart post-crack load capacity. Beam tests are commonly used to assess the post-crack performance of FRS but high within-set variability has hindered the usefulness of beam test data. A method of correcting performance data to account for the offset between the position of the crack and the center of the beam has been suggested as a means of improving within-batch variability for post-crack performance parameters obtained from third-point loaded beam tests. In this paper, an offset correction method has been applied to a large set of beam test data obtained as part of Quality Control testing for a tunnel-lining project to determine whether the method is effective in reducing within-batch variability.