INFLUENCE OF FIBER REINFORCEMENT ON RESTRAINED SHRINKAGE AND CRACKING

Drying shrinkage, when restrained, contributes to nearly all the cracking observed in concrete members before loading. A free shrinkage test cannot therefore give the true potential of fiber reinforcement to resist restrained shrinkage stresses and to control shrinkage cracking. A ring type of restrained shrinkage test is reported to demonstrate the ability of short, discrete fibers such as polypropylene, glass, and steel to control cracking and resist tensile stresses arising from restrained shrinkage. Three series of free and restrained shrinkage tests are reported with different matrices, types of fibers, and fiber contents. It is shown that the presence of fibers exercises a clear but small restraint to free shrinkage, and reduces drying shrinkage by up to 20 percent. When shrinkage is restrained, fiber reinforcement delays the formation of the first crack, prevents sudden failure observed with unreinforced matrices, enables the composite to suffer multiple cracking without failure, and reduces crack widths substantially. The fiber reinforced specimens were able to resist 50 to 100 percent more tensile stresses, and continued to resist the shrinkage stresses even after 8 to 12 months. /Author/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0889325X
• Corporate Authors:

  American Concrete Institute

  P.O. Box 19150, Redford Station, 22400 Seven Mile Road
  Detroit, MI  United States  48219
• Authors:
  • Swamy, R N
  • Stavrides, H
• Publication Date: 1979-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 443-460
• Serial:
  • American Concrete Institute, Journal of
  • Volume: 76
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: American Concrete Institute
  • ISSN: 0889-325X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete; Cracking; Fiber reinforced concrete; Glass; Measurement; Polypropylene; Shrinkage; Steel
• Uncontrolled Terms: Concrete cracking
• Old TRIS Terms: Concrete shrinkage; Resistance; Shrinkage tests
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00193572
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Tech Paper
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 26 1979 12:00AM