Special Issue "Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design, Characterization, and Applications"

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Weena Lokuge
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Future Materials (CFM), School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba 4350, QLD, Australia
Interests: sustainable construction materials; mechanical properties; structural performance and durability properties; bridge rehabilitation using FRP; sandwich panels with recycled products
Dr. Chamila Gunasekara
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering (C&I), RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
Interests: advanced construction materials & characterisation; concrete durability; fibre-reinforced concrete; structural performance; Sustainability & life cycle assessment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete is the second most used material in the world after water. Unfortunately, concrete can be brittle, which means that it requires frequent repairs (thereby increasing its cost), has a reduced service life, and if that brittleness is not dealt with properly, there may be catastrophic consequences. Fibre-reinforced concrete has been researched in the past to overcome this issue by, for example, minimising crack propagation and hence providing resistance for water ingress. However, the incorporation of fibres leads to a reduced workability, and it is thus difficult to achieve a workable mix. Nevertheless, fibre-reinforced concrete is popular as it provides increased ductility and energy absorption compared to plain concrete. More recently, this area of research has attracted increased interest due to its sustainability, especially considering the potential use of recycled fibres and/or different fibre types/sizes.

This Special Issue aims to focus on three broad areas of the use of fibres in concrete: material characterisation in terms of general mechanical properties as well as durability properties; structural performance leading to the design of structures with this material; and the application fibre-reinforced concrete in general.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Assoc. Prof. Weena Lokuge
Dr. Chamila Gunasekara
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fibre-reinforced concrete
  • ductility
  • energy absorption
  • material characterisation
  • durability
  • applications
  • structural performance
  • design

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
Solid Truss to Shell Numerical Homogenization of Prefabricated Composite Slabs
Materials 2021, 14(15), 4120; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14154120 - 23 Jul 2021
Viewed by 400
Abstract
The need for quick and easy deflection calculations of various prefabricated slabs causes simplified procedures and numerical tools to be used more often. Modelling of full 3D finite element (FE) geometry of such plates is not only uneconomical but often requires the use [...] Read more.
The need for quick and easy deflection calculations of various prefabricated slabs causes simplified procedures and numerical tools to be used more often. Modelling of full 3D finite element (FE) geometry of such plates is not only uneconomical but often requires the use of complex software and advanced numerical knowledge. Therefore, numerical homogenization is an excellent tool, which can be easily employed to simplify a model, especially when accurate modelling is not necessary. Homogenization allows for simplifying a computational model and replacing a complicated composite structure with a homogeneous plate. Here, a numerical homogenization method based on strain energy equivalence is derived. Based on the method proposed, the structure of the prefabricated concrete slabs reinforced with steel spatial trusses is homogenized to a single plate element with an effective stiffness. There is a complete equivalence between the full 3D FE model built with solid elements combined with truss structural elements and the simplified homogenized plate FE model. The method allows for the correct homogenization of any complex composite structures made of both solid and structural elements, without the need to perform advanced numerical analyses. The only requirement is a correctly formulated stiffness matrix of a representative volume element (RVE) and appropriate formulation of the transformation between kinematic constrains on the RVE boundary and generalized strains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design, Characterization, and Applications)
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Article
Multivariable Regression Strength Model for Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Beams under Torsion
Materials 2021, 14(14), 3889; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14143889 - 12 Jul 2021
Viewed by 467
Abstract
Torsional behavior and analysis of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams is investigated in this paper. The purpose of this study is twofold; to examine the torsion strength models for SFRC beams available in the literature and to address properly verified design formulations [...] Read more.
Torsional behavior and analysis of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams is investigated in this paper. The purpose of this study is twofold; to examine the torsion strength models for SFRC beams available in the literature and to address properly verified design formulations for SFRC beams under torsion. A total of 210 SFRC beams tested under torsion from 16 different experimental investigations around the world are compiled. The few strength models available from the literature are adapted herein and used to calculate the torsional strength of the beams. The predicted strength is compared with the experimental values measured by the performed torsional tests and these comparisons showed a room for improvement. First, a proposed model is based on optimizing the constants of the existing formulations using multi-linear regression. Further, a second model is proposed, which is based on modifying the American Concrete Institute (ACI) design code for reinforced concrete (RC) members to include the effect of steel fibers on the torsional capacity of SFRC beams. Applications of the proposed models showed better compliance and consistency with the experimental results compared to the available design models providing safe and verified predictions. Further, the second model implements the ACI code for RC using a simple and easy-to-apply formulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design, Characterization, and Applications)
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Article
Energy Absorption Capacity of SBR Latex-Modified Ordinary Portland Cement by Charpy Impact Test
Materials 2021, 14(10), 2544; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14102544 - 13 May 2021
Viewed by 469
Abstract
The present study deals with tests on the energy absorption capacity and compressive strength of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) latex-modified cementitious materials. Different polymer–cement ratios (P/C) of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% were carried out with the Charpy impact test at 7, 14, [...] Read more.
The present study deals with tests on the energy absorption capacity and compressive strength of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) latex-modified cementitious materials. Different polymer–cement ratios (P/C) of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% were carried out with the Charpy impact test at 7, 14, and 28 days of curing. The observations showed an increase in the energy absorption capacity of the SBR latex-modified cement paste in correspondence with the increase in curing times, as well as the increase in the P/C ratios. The P/C ratio of 10% was the optimal ratio for observing the highest energy absorption capacity of the SBR latex-modified cement paste, with a 43% increase observed. In addition, a linear relationship between compressive strength and the energy absorption capacity at 28 days was proposed. Based on that, the energy absorption capacity of SBR latex-modified cement paste can be analyzed or predicted by the compressive strength results, regardless of the P/C ratios. Finally, the two-parameter Weibull distribution was proved to fit by the observation data from the Charpy impact test. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design, Characterization, and Applications)
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Article
Effect of Steel Fiber Content on Shear Behavior of Reinforced Expanded-Shale Lightweight Concrete Beams with Stirrups
Materials 2021, 14(5), 1107; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14051107 - 26 Feb 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 634
Abstract
To determine the validity of steel fiber reinforced expanded-shale lightweight concrete (SFRELC) applied in structures, the shear behavior of SFRELC structural components needs to be understood. In this paper, four-point bending tests were carried out on reinforced SFRELC beams with stirrups and a [...] Read more.
To determine the validity of steel fiber reinforced expanded-shale lightweight concrete (SFRELC) applied in structures, the shear behavior of SFRELC structural components needs to be understood. In this paper, four-point bending tests were carried out on reinforced SFRELC beams with stirrups and a varying volume fraction of steel fiber from 0.4% to 1.6%. The shear cracking force, shear crack width and distribution pattern, mid-span deflection, and failure modes of test beams were recorded. Results indicate that the shear failure modes of reinforced SFRELC beams with stirrups were modified from brittle to ductile and could be transferred to the flexure mode with the increasing volume fraction of steel fiber. The coupling of steel fibers with stirrups contributed to the shear cracking force and the shear capacity provided by the SFRELC, and it improved the distribution of shear cracks. At the limit loading level of beams in building structures at serviceability, the maximum width of shear cracks could be controlled within 0.3 mm and 0.2 mm with the volume fraction of steel fiber increased from 0.4% to 0.8%. Finally, the formulas are proposed for the prediction of shear-cracking force, shear crack width, and shear capacity of reinforced SFRELC beams with stirrups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design, Characterization, and Applications)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Multivariable Regression Strength Model for Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Beams under Torsion
Authors: Ahmed F. Deifalla; Adamantis G. Zapris; Constantin E. Chalioris
Affiliation: FUTURE UNIVERSITY IN EGYPT, Faculty of Engineering Department of Structural Engineering and Construction Management 90th St, New Cairo, 11835, EGYPT DEMOCRITUS UNIVERSITY OF THRACE, School of Engineering Department of Civil Engineering, Division of Structural Engineering Laboratory of Reinforced Concrete and Seismic Design of Structures University Campus, Kimmeria, Xanthi 67100, GREECE
Abstract: Torsional behavior and analysis of Steel Fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams is being investigated since 1980’s. However, no unified or widely accepted model exists in the literature yet. Safe and cost-effective design requires simple and accurate formulation of SFRC structural members under torsion. The purpose of this study is twofold; to examine the torsion strength models for SFRC beams available in the literature and to address properly verified design formulations for SFRC beams under torsion. A total of almost 200 SFRC beams tested under torsion from 17 different experimental investigations around the world are compiled. The few strength models available from the literature are adapted and used to calculate the torsional strength of the tested beams. The predicted torsional strength is compared with the experimental values measured by the performed tests. Comparisons showed a room for improvement. First, a proposed model is based on optimizing the available models from the literature using linear regression. Further, a second model is proposed, which is based on modifying the American Concrete Institute (ACI) design code for Reinforced Concrete (RC) members to include the effect of steel fibers on the torsional capacity of SFRC beams. Applications of the proposed models showed better compliance and consistency with the experimental results compared to the available design models providing safe and verified predictions. The second model implements the ACI code for RC using a simple and easy-to-apply formulation.

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