Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete Behavior under Static and High Velocity Impact

To evaluate the vulnerability of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) infrastructure to rigid projectile penetration, CEA-Gramat has led since few years an experimental and numerical research program in collaboration with French universities. During the penetration process, concrete is subjected to extreme conditions of pressure and strain-rate. Plasticity mechanisms as well as dynamic tensile and/or shear damages are activated during the tunneling phase and the cratering of the concrete target. Each mechanism has been investigated independently at the laboratory scale and the role of steel fibers has been specially analyzed to understand their influence on the macroscopic behavior. In parallel, some improvements have been introduced into the concrete model developed by Pontiroli, Rouquand and Mazars (PRM model), especially to take into account the fibers contribution in the tensile fracture process. The capabilities of the PRM model have been illustrated by performing numerical simulations of material characterization experiments. Next step will be to assess the concrete model to simulate projectile penetration into UHPFRC concrete structures.