Three-Dimensional Microstructure Model for Discontinuously Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Abstract

Fibers are used in concrete structures to improve its behavior under load. The addition of fibers in the concrete matrix increases the difficulty of studying the mixture properties as fibers are randomly distributed inside the concrete. The ability of fiber to be randomly dispersed is very important in the material micro-level and provide a crack arrest mechanism to improve the mechanical properties. The objective of this paper is to provide an algorithm that accounts for fiber randomness in angle and location in the microstructure level of the material. This algorithm can then be used in Finite Element (FE) to investigate the Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) under flexural loading. The numerical simulations of the specimen under flexural loading agree well with test observations, which reveal that the algorithm can simulate the material microstructure level properties and finite-element analytical approach can give reliable predictions License terms (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0). Unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium are permitted, provided the original work is properly cited.