Experimental and Analytical Investigations of a Locally Developed Ultrahigh-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Abstract

This paper presents the experimental investigations and analytical modeling of the strength and flexural characteristics of a locally (Las Cruces, New Mexico) developed fiber-reinforced ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC). High-strength steel fibers were used to improve the strength and flexural properties of the UHPC. Mean compressive strength of the UHPC mixture was obtained as 138 MPa. The UHPC beams also exhibited favorable flexural responses with the deformational ductility indexes ranging between 6 and 10 and the performance factor between 4 and 6. The longitudinal tensile reinforcement ratio was 0.7%, and no transverse reinforcement was present. The moment versus curvature response was modeled analytically by considering the microscopic stress-strain relationship of the concrete and steel. This response was then integrated with a force-based distributed plasticity beam element. The analytical model thus created captured the experimental moment-curvature and force-deformation responses with appreciable accuracy.