Strengthening mechanism of steel fiber in UHPC: A new fracture phase field model

Abstract

The engineering optimization of ultra-high strength concrete (UHPC) requires urgent exploration of the strengthening mechanism of steel fiber in UHPC and the establishment of an effective simulation model. In this study, we propose a new fracture phase field model that considers the fracture energy of the interface between steel fiber and UHPC matrix. The model is utilized to conduct uniaxial tensile numerical simulations of 3D UHPC incorporating steel fibers, and a comparative experiment is conducted to validate the proposed model. The results display a notable agreement between the simulation and experiment. It is found that the tensile strength and residual strength of UHPC increase with steel fiber volume content and decrease with steel fiber diameter. The inclusion of steel fibers in UHPC results in more intricate crack patterns during the fracture process. The above results can be attributed to the debonding occurring at the interface between the steel fiber and the UHPC matrix which dissipates additional energy and thus enhances the UHPC. This work establishes a theoretical foundation for UHPC performance design and the development of effective simulation methods.

Keywords

ultra-high-performance concrete / steel fiber / fracture phase field method / tensile strength / strengthening mechanism / crack surface energy

References

[1] GongJ-H, MaY-W, FuJ-Y, et al. . Utilization of fibers in ultra-high performance concrete: A review [J]. Composites Part B: Engineering, 2022, 241: 109995

[2] GraybealB, BrühwilerE, KimB S, et al. . International perspective on UHPC in bridge engineering [J]. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 2020, 25(11): 04020094

[3] SivaC R, PankajA. Flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams with high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites [J]. Journal of Central South University, 2019, 2692609-2622

[4] WenC-C, ZhangP, WangJ, et al. . Influence of fibers on the mechanical properties and durability of ultra-high-performance concrete: A review [J]. Journal of Building Engineering, 2022, 52104370

[5] ChenX, WanD-W, JinL-Z, et al. . Experimental studies and microstructure analysis for ultra high-performance reactive powder concrete [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2019, 229116924

[6] HassanA M T, JonesS W, MahmudG H. Experimental test methods to determine the uniaxial tensile and compressive behaviour of ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2012, 37874-882

[7] ZhaoQ, HuangJ-J, YangJ-P, et al. . Experimental study on the tensile behavior of ultra-high performance concrete fiber continuous joints [J]. Structural Concrete, 2022, 23(1): 207-219

[8] YangJ, ChenB-C, NutiC. Influence of steel fiber on compressive properties of ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2021, 302: 124104

[9] GuoX-L, LiH-B, WangS-J. Effects of precorroded steel fibers on mechanical properties and interface bond behavior of ultra-high performance concrete-normal concrete [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2022, 356129234

[10] FengJ, GaoX-D, LiJ-Z, et al. . Influence of fiber mixture on impact response of ultra-high-performance hybrid fiber reinforced cementitious composite [J]. Composites Part B: Engineering, 2019, 163487-496

[11] Le HoangA, FehlingE. Influence of steel fiber content and aspect ratio on the uniaxial tensile and compressive behavior of ultra high performance concrete [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2017, 153: 790-806

[12] RomualdiJ P, BatsonG B. Mechanics of crack arrest in concrete [J]. Journal of the Engineering Mechanics Division, 1963, 89(3): 147-168

[13] YangJ, ChenB-C, SuJ-Z, et al. . Effects of fibers on the mechanical properties of UHPC: A review [J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English Edition), 2022, 9(3): 363-387

[14] TengL, HuangH-H, KhayatK H, et al. . Simplified analytical model to assess key factors influenced by fiber alignment and their effect on tensile performance of UHPC [J]. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2022, 127: 104395

[15] AydinL, ArtemH S, ÖTERKUŞE, et al. DobrzańskiL A, et al. . Fiber reinforced composites [C]. Composite materials engineering, 2017, Cambridge, Woodhead Publishing: 5-50

[16] WangS-F, YuL, YangF, et al. . Effect of steel fiber distribution on the mechanical properties of UHPC caused by vehicle-bridge coupling vibration [J]. Composites Part B: Engineering, 2022, 245: 110201

[17] TalrejaR, WaasA M. Concepts and definitions related to mechanical behavior of fiber reinforced composite materials [J]. Composites Science and Technology, 2022, 217109081

[18] TsaiJ H, PatraA, WetherholdR. Finite element simulation of shaped ductile fiber pullout using a mixed cohesive zone/friction interface model [J]. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2005, 36(6): 827-838

[19] YuR C, CifuentesH, RiveroI, et al. . Dynamic fracture behaviour in fibre-reinforced cementitious composites [J]. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2016, 93135-152

[20] WuG-Z, WangH-M. Numerical simulation of steel fiber pull-out process based on cohesive zone model and unified phase-field theory [J]. Sustainability, 2023, 15(5): 4015

[21] LiuQ, GorbatikhL, LomovS V. A combined use of embedded and cohesive elements to model damage development in fibrous composites [J]. Composite Structures, 2019, 223: 110921

[22] BitencourtL A G, ManzoliO L, BittencourtT N, et al. . Numerical modeling of steel fiber reinforced concrete with a discrete and explicit representation of steel fibers [J]. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 2019, 159171-190

[23] ZhangJ-H, LiuX-G, WuZ-Y, et al. . Fracture properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete: Size effect study via mesoscale modelling approach [J]. Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 2022, 260108193

[24] MahmudG H, YangZ-J, HassanA M T. Experimental and numerical studies of size effects of Ultra High Performance Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) beams [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2013, 481027-1034

[25] ShafieifarM, FarzadM, AzizinaminiA. Experimental and numerical study on mechanical properties of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2017, 156: 402-411

[26] ZhaoB, XuY-X, PengH, et al. . Experiment and phase-field simulation of uniaxial compression of ultra-high-performance concrete with coarse aggregate [J]. Advances in Structural Engineering, 2022, 25(10): 2121-2136

[27] BilgenC, HombergerS, WeinbergK. Phase-field fracture simulations of the Brazilian splitting test [J]. International Journal of Fracture, 2019, 220(1): 85-98

[28] DonniniJ, LancioniG, ChiappiniG, et al. . Uniaxial tensile behavior of ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC): Experiments and modeling [J]. Composite Structures, 2021, 258: 113433

[29] WuJ-Y. A unified phase-field theory for the mechanics of damage and quasi-brittle failure [J]. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2017, 10372-99

[30] PanJ, WangH, ZhaoB, et al. . Phase field fracture simulation of concrete: factors affecting crack width [J]. Journal of Transport Science And Engineering, 2022, 38: 8-14(in Chinese)

[31] SuY-T, ZhuJ-Q, LongX, et al. . Statistical effects of pore features on mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of heterogeneous random porous materials by phase-field modeling [J]. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 2023, 264: 112098

[32] Hirshikesh, NatarajanS, AnnabattulaR K. A FEniCS implementation of the phase field method for quasi-static brittle fracture [J]. Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering, 2019, 13(2): 380-396

[33] MieheC, WelschingerF, HofackerM. Thermodynamically consistent phase-field models of fracture: Variational principles and multi-field FE implementations [J]. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 2010, 83(10): 1273-1311

[34] WeinbergK, DallyT, SchußS, et al. . Modeling and numerical simulation of crack growth and damage with a phase field approach [J]. GAMM-Mitteilungen, 2016, 39(1): 55-77

[35] Abu-LebdehT, HamoushS, HeardW, et al. . Effect of matrix strength on pullout behavior of steel fiber reinforced very-high strength concrete composites [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2011, 25(1): 39-46

[36] WangD-H, ShiC-J, WuZ-M, et al. . A review on ultra high performance concrete: Part II. Hydration, microstructure and properties [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2015, 96368-377

[37] ZhangR, YanX-F, GuoL. Pullout damage analysis of steel fiber with various inclination angles and interface states in UHPC through acoustic emission and microscopic observation [J]. Journal of Building Engineering, 2022, 51: 104271

[38] BhowmickS, LiuG-R. Three dimensional CS-FEM phase-field modeling technique for brittle fracture in elastic solids [J]. Applied Sciences, 2018, 8(12): 2488

[39] MsekhM A, SargadoJ M, JamshidianM, et al. . Abaqus implementation of phase-field model for brittle fracture [J]. Computational Materials Science, 2015, 96472-484

[40] LiuJ-Z, HanF-Y, CuiG, et al. . Combined effect of coarse aggregate and fiber on tensile behavior of ultra-high performance concrete [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2016, 121310-318

[41] Tcecs 10107-2020China Association for Engineering Construction Standardization. Technical requirements for ultra high performance concrete [S], 2020, Beijing, Standards Press of China(in Chinese)

[42] BujnakovaP, JostJ, FarbakM, et al. . Experimental study of the modulus of elasticity of concrete at different ambient temperature [J]. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2019, 549(1): 012049

[43] Le HoangA, FehlingE. Influence of steel fiber content and aspect ratio on the uniaxial tensile and compressive behavior of ultra high performance concrete [J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2017, 153790-806

[44] NiuY-F, HuangH-L, WeiJ-X, et al. . Investigation of fatigue crack propagation behavior in steel fiber-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) under cyclic flexural loading [J]. Composite Structures, 2022, 282115126

[45] KangS T, LeeY, ParkY D, et al. . Tensile fracture properties of an Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) with steel fiber [J]. Composite Structures, 2010, 92(1): 61-71

[46] ZhouZ-G, CaiY-F, TanJ. Effect of polyester fiber on performance of rubber modified asphalt concrete [J]. Journal of Changsha University of Science & Technology (Natural Science), 2021, 18(2): 1-8(in Chinese)

[47] HeZ-Y, YangJ-Y, ZouL-M. Research on the effect of the double-horizontal-shaft vibrating mixing on the performance of ultra-high performance concrete [J]. Journal of Changsha University of Science & Technology (Natural Science), 2023, 20(5): 154-162(in Chinese)

Foundation item: Project(2022JJ30583) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China; Project(21B0315) supported by the Natural Science Research Project of Hunan Education Department, China; Project(18ZDXK04) supported by the Civil Engineering Key Discipline Innovation Project of Changsha University of Science and Technology, China