Numerical simulation of steel fibre reinforced concrete pipes using constitutive equations based on the Barcelona test

Abstract

The use of fibres as main reinforcement for concrete pipes is recognized as an attractive alternative to the steel bars especially for smaller diameters. Nevertheless, the use of fibre reinforcement has not been consolidated yet. The lack of more reliable procedures for systematic quality control of the steel fibre reinforced concrete pipes is one of the reasons for that condition. In addition, there is no reliable technical data to support durability evaluation. A numerical simulation of the pipe crushing test can be used aiming to reduce this lack of knowledge. This work present a new solution based on numerical simulation of steel fibre reinforced concrete pipes using constitutive equation derived from Barcelona tests. An experimental campaign was carried out to confirm the suitability of both the model and the constitutive equation to simulate the pipe response subjected to crushing test. The numerical models also present good reliability to predict the cracking level of the components. This is an important tool to support evaluations of the ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state of FRC precast elements. This is of particular relevance when the new conceptions of the fib Model Code are taking into account.