Abstract
This article reviews the literature related to the performance of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) in the context of the durability of concrete infrastructures. The durability of a concrete infrastructure is defined by its ability to sustain reliable levels of serviceability and structural integrity in environmental exposure which may be harsh without any major need for repair intervention throughout the design service life. Conventional concrete has relatively low tensile capacity and ductility, and thus is susceptible to cracking. Cracks are considered to be pathways for gases, liquids, and deleterious solutes entering the concrete, which lead to the early onset of deterioration processes in the concrete or reinforcing steel. Chloride aqueous solution may reach the embedded steel quickly after cracked regions are exposed to de-icing salt or spray in coastal regions, which de-passivates the protective film, whereby corrosion initiation occurs decades earlier than when chlorides would have to gradually ingress uncracked concrete covering the steel in the absence of cracks. Appropriate inclusion of steel or non-metallic fibers has been proven to increase both the tensile capacity and ductility of FRC. Many researchers have investigated durability enhancement by use of FRC. This paper reviews substantial evidence that the improved tensile characteristics of FRC used to construct infrastructure, improve its durability through mainly the fiber bridging and control of cracks. The evidence is based on both reported laboratory investigations under controlled conditions and the monitored performance of actual infrastructure constructed of FRC. The paper aims to help design engineers towards considering the use of FRC in real-life concrete infrastructures appropriately and more confidently.
Highlights
A concrete structure may be exposed to a variety of environmental conditions throughout its service life
A brief overview of existing literature related to the influence of fibres on the corrosion of steel reinforcement in cracked concrete is given in Table 2, while details are discussed in the coming sections
After submerging specimens for 120 days in NaOH solution at 80 ◦ C, about 12% and 35% lower expansion was found for 1% and 2% micro steel fiber fiber reinforced concrete (FRC), respectively, compared with reference concrete specimens
Summary
A concrete structure may be exposed to a variety of environmental conditions throughout its service life. The appropriate use of FRC may increase the durability and service life of a structural element, thereby reducing the overall environmental impact of the element over its entire lifecycle. The use of steel fibers has been shown to result in higher resistance to shear failure of reinforced concrete beams, thereby reducing the need for stirrups [20,21,22]. The variation in the optimum level between studies could analysis of the structural response during seismic loading with respect to the variation of mechanical be explained by the different aspect ratio of fibers used. For practical use of fiber reinforced concrete, it is important to understand its long-term up to 0.5% of steel macro-fiber is typical in traditional FRC ground slabs [18]. The higher ductility and fracture behavior of FRC can reduce the risk of damage to the RC structure due to
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