Abstract
This work presents a lattice–particle model for the analysis of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC). In this approach, fibers are explicitly modeled and connected to the concrete matrix lattice via interface elements. The interface behavior was calibrated by means of pullout tests and a range for the bond properties is proposed. The model was validated with analytical and experimental results under uniaxial tension and compression, demonstrating the ability of the model to correctly describe the effect of fiber volume fraction and distribution on fracture properties of SFRC. The lattice–particle model was integrated into a hierarchical homogenization-based scheme in which macroscopic material parameters are obtained from mesoscale simulations. Moreover, a representative volume element (RVE) analysis was carried out and the results shows that such an RVE does exist in the post-peak regime and until localization takes place. Finally, the multiscale upscaling strategy was successfully validated with three-point bending tests.
Highlights
Concrete is today’s most used construction material [1], and it has been used in many different applications for its versatility and techno-economic advantages
The mechanical response of the fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) depends on fiber parameters, matrix parameters, and fiber–matrix bond parameters [3]
On the other to account for a wide range of behaviors, namely from softening to hardening. This is achieved by 2 a corrective term ς is included such that an updated value for the fracture energy is used, G 0 F = ς GF, defining initial and ultimate stress–strain pairs, and the sequential reduction takes place therein, which is equivalent to increasing the tensile strength and ultimate strain ς times, as proposed in [37]
Summary
Concrete is today’s most used construction material [1], and it has been used in many different applications for its versatility and techno-economic advantages. As the use of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) becomes more extended, the need for reliable tools to better understand its behavior increases It is within this context that numerical models play an important role. One main feature of this model is that fibers are explicitly modeled, i.e., the fibers have their own degrees of freedom rather than lumping their arresting effect on the element boundary, as in [22,27] This is achieved by means of special fiber–matrix interface elements that, in contrast, must be characterized by pullout tests. The model considers the mechanical and geometrical properties of the constituents of FRC (e.g., mix properties, fiber size and distribution, and material properties) and it has been validated with analytical and experimental results In this sense, the tensile and flexural behaviors have been analyzed, and the compressive behavior, which has been less studied with numerical models. The effect of fiber reinforcement on the determination of an RVE, especially in the softening regime, is analyzed by means of an extensive numerical campaign
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