Computers and Concrete

Volume 8, Number 5, 2011, pages 525-539

DOI: 10.12989/cac.2011.8.5.525

Fiber reinforced concrete properties - a multiscale approach

Erez Gal and Roman Kryvoruk

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) unit cell for analyzing concrete structures by executing a multiscale analysis procedure using the theory of homogenization. This was achieved through solving a periodic unit cell problem of the material in order to evaluate its macroscopic properties. Our research describes the creation of an FRC unit cell through the use of concrete paste generic information e.g. the percentage of aggregates, their distribution, and the percentage of fibers in the concrete. The algorithm presented manipulates the percentage and distribution of these aggregates along with fiber weight to create a finite element unit cell model of the FRC which can be used in a multiscale analysis of concrete structures.

Key Words

FRC-fibered reinforced concrete; multiscale analysis; concrete unit cell; elastic properties; mesoscale concrete finite element model.

Address

Erez Gal and Roman Kryvoruk: Department of Structural Engineering, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel