UHPFRC tensile behavior characterization: inverse analysis of four-point bending test results

• Published in: Materials and structures Vol. 46; no. 8; pp. 1337 - 1354
• Main Authors: Baby, Florent, Graybeal, Benjamin, Marchand, Pierre, Toutlemonde, François
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-08-2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Bend tests; Building construction; Building Materials; Buildings. Public works; Cement constituents; Civil Engineering; Concretes. Mortars. Grouts; Engineering; Engineering Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Fiber reinforced concretes; Inverse; Laws; Machines; Manufacturing; Materials; Materials Science; Mechanics; Mechanics of materials; Original Article; Other special applications (sand concrete, roller compacted concrete, heavy concrete, architectural concrete, etc.); Physics; Processes; Scatter; Solid Mechanics; Strength of materials (elasticity, plasticity, buckling, etc.); Stress-strain relationships; Structural analysis. Stresses; Tensile tests; Theoretical and Applied Mechanics; Inverse analysis; Tensile stress–strain response; Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC); Flexural test; Bending tests; Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC); Stress strain relation; Construction materials; Experimental study; Inverse problem; Bending strength; Tensile stress―strain response; Fiber reinforced concrete; High strength concrete; Comparative study; Quantitative analysis; Bending test; TRACTION; ESSAI DE FLEXION; LOI DE COMPORTEMENT; DEFORMATION; CONTRAINTE
• ISSN: 1359-5997; 1871-6873
• DOI: 10.1617/s11527-012-9977-0

The tensile stress–strain response of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is a fundamental constitutive property, and reliable knowledge of this response is necessary for appropriate application of the tensile-carrying capacity of such advanced cement-based materials. Flexural test methods, whose implementation is well established, present a test procedure capable of assessing this property. Nevertheless, these methods provide indirect information and need to be complemented by inverse analysis in order to quantify the intrinsic tensile behavior of tested materials. Moreover, bias or scatter can be induced when simplified constitutive laws are assumed for the analysis. Flexural tests have been completed on multiple types of commercially available UHPFRC. A new inverse analysis method is presented and qualified, compared with existing methods, and also compared with results from direct tensile tests. Advantages and limitations of the experimental and analysis methods have been derived.