„Fiber Reinforced Concrete: From University Research to Large-Scale Structural Applications“ is the title of a guest lecture held by Professor Gustavo J. Parra-Montesinos (University of Michigan, USA) on 20. November 2008, 16:40-18:10 Uhr at the Beyerbau, HS 118.

Taken from the abstract:

The addition of discontinuous fiber reinforcement to the concrete has been shown to provide post-cracking tensile resistance and an increase in compression ductility to the concrete. This suggests that fiber reinforcement could be used as a partial or even total replacement of transverse reinforcement used for shear resistance and confinement, leading to simpler reinforcement detailing and reduced costs. Fiber reinforced concretes with tensile strain-hardening behavior, typically referred to as High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concretes (HPFRCs), are particularly suitable for this purpose. The large tensile and compression strain capacity of HPFRCs makes them attractive for use in cases when large force and/or deformation demands are expected, such as in structures subjected to earthquake motions.

Results from recent and ongoing investigations on structural uses of fiber reinforced concrete, including self-consolidating fiber reinforced concrete, will be presented. Applications include beams, beam-column and slab-column connections, and structural wall systems.

Recent efforts on the implementation of design provisions for fiber reinforced concrete in the ACI Building Code will also be discussed. The use of HPFRC in beam-column connections allowed total elimination of joint confinement reinforcement, even in connections subjected shear stress levels exceeding the maximum stress allowed in the ACI Code. When used in slab-column connections, substantially more ductility was observed compared to a nearly “identical” connection reinforced with headed shear studs. Similarly, the use of HPFRC materials allowed the elimination of transverse reinforcement around diagonal bars in coupling beams of structural wall systems, substantially simplifying the construction of these members.