Effect of different types of fibers on the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of Ultra-High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concretes

Abstract This study investigates the effect of adding different types of fibers on the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of cementitious composites, in particular on UHPC. These fibers were distinguished mainly by their differing nature (steel, mineral and synthetic), their dimensions (macroscopic or microscopic), and their mechanical properties. The microstructure of the specimens was examined by using SEM observation and by measuring the porosity, the intrinsic permeability and the P-wave velocity. The mechanical behavior under loading has been studied using a uni-axial compression test which combines the gas permeability and the acoustic emission (AE) measurement. This work focuses on the cracking process under mechanical loading. The experimental results show that the fiber has a relatively slight influence on the compressive strength and elastic modulus of concrete, except for the steel fiber which improves the strength because of its intrinsic rigidity. However, The addition of fiber significantly reduces the lateral strain at peak loading and increases the threshold of initial cracking (σk-ci) and that of unstable cracking (σk-pi). Therefore, the fibers clearly restrain the cracking process in concrete under the mechanic loading.