Influence of fiber type on the tensile behavior of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) under impact loading

Abstract

Two different types of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) were investigated under uniaxial quasi-static and impact tensile loading. The normal-strength matrix was combined with polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) fiber in one composite and with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fiber in another. A modified Hopkinson bar was used to assess the impact resistance of SHCC in terms of stress–strain relationships at strain rates of up to 120 s−1. SHCC reinforced with PVA fiber, the composite with considerable ductility under quasi-static loading, performed much worse under impact loading than SHCC made with HDPE fiber. This could be traced back to the peculiar alteration of the fiber-matrix interaction depending on the type of fiber and corresponding bond properties, i.e. chemical bond in case of PVA fiber versus frictional bond in case of HDPE fiber.