Study of Application of Fiber Reinforced Concrete in Anchorage Zone

Abstract

In the case of post-tensioned or geotechnical structures, the anchorage zone is considered a critical part of the design and construction process. Generally, the failure of the anchorage zone is one of the most common problems. High-bearing stresses create significant transverse tension. For these reasons, conventional reinforcement, usually in the form of closed stirrups, must be designed. The presented analysis is focused on the possible increase of load-carrying capacity of the anchorage zone with steel fiber-reinforced concrete. Three types of specimens were analyzed. The first type of specimen represented the anchorage zone made from standard reinforced concrete. The second and third series of specimens were designed from fiber-reinforced concrete with two different volumes of steel fibers added into the anchorage zone. The parameters used in the numerical analysis of the anchorage zone were experimentally determined on a set of beam specimens. In the analysis, the anchorage zone was loaded by a node force applied on a steel load distribution plate placed on the top edge of the bloc. The performed numerical study suggests that the load-bearing capacity can be increased by adding fiber-reinforced concrete with a higher volume of fiber (Dramix 3D 55/30, volume of fiber of 110 kg/m3) into the vicinity of the anchorage plate.