The optimum steel fiber reinforcement for prestressed concrete containment under internal pressure

Abstract

This paper investigates the optimum fiber reinforcement for prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCVs) under internal pressure. To achieve this aim, steel fiber, which is the most widely used fiber type in current engineering applications, is adopted to constitute steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) to substitute the conventional concrete in the PCCV. The effects of characteristic parameters, λsf, of the steel fiber affecting significantly the mechanical behavior of the concrete are first taken into account. Partial or complete concrete regions of the PCCV are also considered to be replaced by SFRC to balance the economy and safety. By adopting the ABAQUS software, the ultimate bearing capacity and performance for the fiber-reinforced PCCV are scientifically studied and quantified, and the recommendations for the optimum way of fiber reinforcement are presented.