Bond between Reinforcement and Self-Compacting Steel-Fibre-Reinforced Concrete

Paper in proceeding, 2012

In this study, pull-out tests of specimens with short embedment length and varying fibre content were carried out. The results showed no effect from the fibres on the bond-slip behaviour before peak load when normalized with respect to the compressive strength. After peak, the fibre reinforcement provided extra confinement, changing the failure mode from splitting to pull-out failure. The test results were used to calibrate a frictional bond model in non-linear finite element analyses. The model proved to yield results in good agreement with the experimental results regarding failure modes, load-slip relation and splitting strains on the surfaces of the pull-out specimens. The tests and analyses in combination confirmed that the fibre reinforcement neither disturbed nor improved the bond properties at the interface layer between reinforcement steel and concrete; i.e. the fibres only provided confinement to the surrounding structure.