Abstract
The paper presents a finite element investigation of the effect of material composition and the constituents’ interaction on the tensile behavior of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) both with and without textile reinforcement. The input material parameters for the SHCC and continuous reinforcement models, as well for their bond, were adopted from reference experimental investigations. The textile reinforcement was discretized by truss elements in the loaded direction only, with the constitutive relationships simulating a carbon and a polymer textile, respectively. For realistic simulation of macroscopic tensile response and multiple cracking patterns in hybrid fiber-reinforced composites subjected to tension, a multi-scale and probabilistic approach was adopted. SHCC was simulated using the smeared crack model, and the input constitutive law reflected the single-crack opening behavior. The probabilistic definition and spatial fluctuation of matrix strength and tensile strength of the SHCC enabled realistic multiple cracking and fracture localization within the loaded model specimens. Two-dimensional (2D) simulations enabled a detailed material assessment with reasonable computational effort and showed adequate accuracy in predicting the experimental findings in terms of macroscopic stress–strain properties, extent of multiple cracking, and average crack width. Besides material optimization, the model is suitable for assessing the strengthening performance of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites on structural elements.
Highlights
Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) and fabric reinforced mortars (FRM) are cementitious composites reinforced with continuous, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional textiles/fabrics made of carbon, alkali-resistant glass, or polymer multifilament yarns [1,2,3,4]
Uniaxial tension experiments were simulated, with boundary conditions and material properties adopted from reference experimental studies on hybrid fiber-reinforced composites [13,14,15,47] in which the continuous reinforcement consisted of 2D textiles made of carbon and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)
The strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) material model was based on the smeared crack formulation and the constitutive law represented the single crack-opening behavior derived from experimental results
Summary
Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) and fabric reinforced mortars (FRM) are cementitious composites reinforced with continuous, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional textiles/fabrics made of carbon, alkali-resistant glass, or polymer multifilament yarns [1,2,3,4]. Highly promising for applications involving ordinary service conditions, the energy dissipation capacity and damage tolerance of TRC/TRM require further enhancement for scenarios involving dynamic or repeated mechanical loading with extensive deformations and high energy input [6] This can be achieved through the targeted addition of short fibers, which can increase the cracking stress of the cementitious matrix, decrease the crack spacing and crack width, and mitigate matrix spalling [7,8]. The paper at hand presents a FE model that combines these two approaches in the context of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites, i.e., the probabilistic approach for SHCC and the discrete representation of the continuous textile yarns It enables a detailed analysis of the interaction mechanisms and of the effect of various material combinations on the macroscopic composite properties and facilitates an accurate prediction of the multiple cracking and fracture phenomena in the tensioned composites. Besides the macroscopic tensile stress–strain relationships of the plain SHCC and of the hybrid fiber-reinforced composites, the multiple cracking pattern and the resulting crack width along the entire deformation range were analyzed and compared to the reference experimental results presented in [13,14]
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