Materials and Design 32 (2011) 32543262

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Materials and Design

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A method for optimal design of steel ber reinforced concrete composition

L. Dvorkin a, O. Dvorkin a, V. Zhitkovsky a, Y. Ribakov b,
a b

Department of Constructing Products Technology and Materials Science, National University of Water Management and Nature Resources, Rivne 33028, Ukraine Department of Civil Engineering, Ariel University Center of Samaria, Ariel 40700, Israel

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t
Existing design approaches for steel ber reinforced concrete composition practically do not consider the interaction between the concrete components. It decreases the design efciency and accuracy. The paper deals with methodology for design of optimal steel bered ne-grained concrete composition based on stiff mixtures. Such concrete is used for production of thin walled precise elements. The current investigation enables to nd the inuence of the main factors (watercement ratio, ber content, neness and quantity of sand) on the concrete mixture stiffness, compressive and exural strength of concrete. The study has also enabled to obtain corresponding mathematical models of concrete properties. Based on the models a methodology for design of steel bered concrete was developed and appropriate nomograms were prepared. The proposed methodology allows obtaining of optimal steel bered ne-grained concrete composition, taking into account the required exural strength of concrete, sand neness and concrete mixture workability. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Article history: Received 16 December 2010 Accepted 14 February 2011 Available online 19 February 2011 Keywords: A. Concrete E. Mechanical H. Selection of components

1. Introduction Fiber reinforced concrete is increasingly used in structural engineering applications during the last years. The most common applications are tunnel linings, slabs, airport runways, highways pavements, hydraulic structures, etc. Fiber reinforced concrete has potential for many more applications, specially, in the area of structural elements [1,2]. Dispersed ber reinforcement of concrete enhances the compressive, tensile and shear strengths. It increases exural toughness, durability and resistance of concrete to impact as well as limits opening of cracks in structural elements. The mechanical properties of ber reinforced concrete depend on the type and the content of the added bers [1,3]. Steel bers are the most effective for concrete reinforcement and have higher durability, compared to other types of bers. Most commercially available steel bers are manufactured from drawn steel wire. However, steel bers can also be made from steel sheet material. Usually standard steel bers have a smooth or rough surface, their length is from 10 to 160 mm and diameter ranges between 0.2 and 1.6 mm. Experimental research shows that adding steel bers to concrete composition increases the splitting tensile strength 1.52 times and lead a slight increase in the compressive strength values (up to 1025%) [4,5]. During the last years using high strength concrete becomes a common trend. The brittleness of concrete becomes higher while
Corresponding author. Tel.: +972 546 431 385; fax: +972 390 66 351.
E-mail address: ribakov@ariel.ac.il (Y. Ribakov). 0261-3069/$ - see front matter 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2011.02.036

its strength is being increased. The higher the strength of concrete, the lower is its ductility. This inverse relation between strength and ductility is a serious drawback [6]. A compromise between these two conicting properties of concrete can be obtained by adding bers. In the last decades bers inuence on concrete mechanical properties was studied experimentally and analytically all over the world. Models derived based on the regression analysis of 60 test data for various mechanical properties of steel bered concrete (SFC) have been presented by Job and Ananth [7]. Cube and cylinder compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of rupture and post-cracking performance, modulus of elasticity, Poissons ratio, and strain corresponding to peak compressive stress were investigated. The variables considered were obtained for concrete with compressive strength of 35, 65 and 85 MPa. The volume fraction of the bers was 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%. It was shown that the ber matrix interaction contributes signicantly to enhancement of mechanical properties caused by the introduction of bers, which is at variance with formulations, based on the law of mixtures. An analytical method for the prediction of maximum crack width in reinforced SFC beams under short-term loading was presented in 1995 [8]. The method accounts for the enhanced cracking strength, restraint against crack growth, and reduced tensile steel strains due to the presence of steel bers. Tests were carried out on 10 beams to investigate the effect of steel ber content on the cracking characteristics in the short- and long-term. The results indicated that the use of steel bers greatly reduced the maximum crack widths. Good agreement was obtained between the analytical predictions and test results.

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Although certain efforts were made to develop design procedures for SFC elements, still the available design methods should be critically reviewed considering the post-cracking resistant mechanism [9]. Based on an accurate experimental investigation on full scale specimens, a crack model, implementing the Hilleborgs criteria was used. To assess the SFC reliability, a population of tensile tests on cylinders, drilled out from a reference full scale specimen, was carried out. It was reported that SFC design reliability requires a condent evaluation of the tensile constitutive relation, which is usually characterized by a high dispersion. Design of SFC mixes is similar to that for plain concrete. However, certain measures must be taken to guarantee uniform bers dispersion, preventing segregation or clumping of bers during mixing, and to obtain a workable mix capable of being properly placed, consolidated, and nished. Design and optimization of steel ber reinforced concrete should also consider the required strength properties of the material as well as its cost. It is well known that increasing the quantity of bers in concrete makes it more expensive and leads lower workability of concrete as well as its compacting [5]. Mechanical characteristics of steel bered concrete (SFC) are mainly dened by the amount of bers and their properties. However, like for regular concrete these characteristics depend on type of cement, its physical and chemical properties, watercement ratio (W/C); properties of the aggregate (fraction, type) and quality of concrete mixture compacting. It should be mentioned that the materials quality depends rst of all on the design rules and selection of the SFC mixture composition. Following known methodologies for production of SFC with given characteristics, the rst design stage is focused on obtaining the quantity of bers required for providing the desired strength, load bearing capacity and behavior of concrete at limit stages [10]. Further design of the concrete matrix for SFC is carried out like for regular concrete mixtures without bers [11]. In some cases correction of SFC mixture technological characteristics, considering the effect of bers is required. Some researchers reported that ordinary concrete compositions cannot be used as a matrix for SFC [12]. Characteristics of the mortar, aggregates and their parity have a strong inuence on rheological characteristics of the concrete mixture, method of its compacting as well as the concrete properties after hardening. It is possible to avoid the undesired degradation of SFC characteristics by using a special methodology for design of SFC mixtures that takes into account the above mentioned factors. A most effective way to study the inuence of various factors on mechanical characteristics of materials is using mathematical planning of experiments and building mathematical models. Applying such models is very convenient for solving optimization problems and design of composite materials.

just bers that are oriented perpendicularly to the compression force direction are taken into account. The following equation may be used for calculation of Rfb [13]:

Rfb Rb kn uf lf v Rf

Here Rb is the concrete matrix strength in MPa, Rf is the tensile strength of bers, kn is a coefcient that takes into account the work of bers in a section in direction perpendicular to the compression force; and uf is a coefcient of indirect ber reinforcement that can be obtained as follows:

uf

5L 1 4: 5L

where

k n l f v Rf Rb

and lfv is the design value of the ber volume reinforcement ratio. In cases when SFC is applied in thin-walled spatial structures it is expediently to use ne-grained concrete as a matrix. After design of a SFC structure according to its desired load bearing capacity, a ne-grained concrete matrix composition is corrected taking into account the inuence of bers on strength characteristics of concrete [14]. The design is based on the following strength equation:

Rfb Rc kt kf v kc

0:5 0:3 W =C

where Rc is the cement strength in MPa, kc, kt and kfv are coefcients of cement stone volume content in concrete, thermal processing and dispersed aggregate, respectively. The last two coefcients (kt and kfv) are obtained experimentally [14]. The value of kt shows the change in strength of concrete, subjected to thermal processing or produced without heating using exothermic processes in cement, relative to that when concrete with the same composition hardened in natural conditions [14]. The value of kfv, shows the change in strength of concrete with disperse ller (micro-silica, y ash) relative to that without llers at equal watercement ratios [14]. The cement stone volume content in concrete coefcient can be obtained as follows:

kc 1 10mc 0:51:4 W =C 2

where mc is the volume content of cement stone in the concrete mixture:

mc C =qc W =qw

6
3

2. Available methods for design of SFC mixtures SFC structural elements should be designed taking into account sections strength in various directions and local loads [13]. The ber content is selected so that the design requirements and lifetime conditions of the element are satised in the best way. Selection of the concrete matrix composition is done at the rst design stage according to the required concrete class. The nal composition is corrected based on experimental results taking into account the effect of bers on technological properties of the concrete mixture and mechanical characteristics of concrete. In some cases the design values of compression and tensile splitting strength of SFC (Rfb and Rfbt respectively) are obtained depending on the class of concrete, type and size of bers, elements dimensions or geometry of their sections [13]. In this case

C and W denote the cement and water expenditure in kg per m of concrete, qc and qw are real density of cement and water, kg/m3, respectively. The effect of bers on technological properties of the concrete mixture according to this methodology is taken into account using specially developed diagrams. Optimization of SFC composition can be done by selecting the relation between rough and ne fraction aggregates yielding the best workability (minimum compacting time) for a constant bers content [15]. Thus, in the authors opinion, any approach for design of SFC composition, based on preliminary theoretical calculation of required bers content value and further correction of the mixtures composition taking into account the effect of added bers worsens the expected result, because the inuence of concrete components properties one on the other and their interaction is practically not considered. Therefore, analyzing the above-mentioned methodology, it may be concluded that it is expediently to develop a method for optimization of SFC composition that considers the inuence of concrete

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L. Dvorkin et al. / Materials and Design 32 (2011) 32543262 Table 1 Conditions of experiment planning for investigating the SFC properties. Factors designation Variation levels Bottom (1) 40 0.4 1.5 3.5 20 Main (0) 100 0.45 2.0 4.0 70 Upper (+1) 160 0.5 2.5 4.5 120

ingredients, properties of cement stone and aggregates, compacting quality and properties of the concrete mixture. 3. Research signicance, aim and scope The current research is focused on developing a methodology for design of concrete composition for ne-grained SFC. The methodology is based on mathematical models. The current study was aimed at investigating the inuence of steel bers content, llers quality and composition of concrete on mechanical properties of ne-grained steel bered concrete, based on stiff mixtures. An additional purpose of this study was developing a simple and effective method for design of SFC concrete composition. With this aim series of tests, based on of mathematical experiments planning method, were carried out. According to the model, 28 experimental points and 84 beam specimens were realized. The specimens were tested to obtain their exural and compressive strengths [16]. Regressive-statistical analysis of the data was performed [17,18]. Mathematical models of the concrete mixture stiffness and SFC strengths were obtained. These models can be applied for design of ne-grained steel bered concrete used in thin walled concrete elements produced in building industry conditions using stiff concrete mixtures. 4. Experiments planning The tests were carried out using mathematical planning of experiments [18,19]. Based on the experimental results and statistical processing of the data, mathematical experimentally-statistical models of the investigated steel bered concrete properties have been obtained. Such models consider the inuence of the most important factors. As for solution of construction and technological problems most dependences have a second order polynomial form [20], it was decided to apply an experimental plan for getting such models. A second order mathematical model has the following form:

Symbolic X1 X2 X3 X4 X5

Natural Mf, kg/m3 of concrete W/C Fm n Vebe, s

X5 in Table 1). The sandcement ratio n was varied at this stage in order to provide the required stiffness of the concrete mixture. A three-level four factors B4 type plan, similar to a D-optimal one [18,20] was used in the experimental work. The plan (N) consists of a full factorial experiment (N1), star points (Na) and zero points (n0), as shown in Table 2. The variation range for the selected factors that were used in the experiment planning is shown in Table 1. Using the factors values in the experimental plan, the SFC composition, used for casting the specimens, was obtained following the methodology described in [22]. The compositions of concrete mixtures are shown in Table 3. The concrete mixtures were prepared according to the compositions and for each mixture a Vebe test was carried out to measure the stiffness of the mixture. A Vebe vibrating table [21,23] was used to measure the stiffness of the mixtures. The following vibration parameters were used: amplitude 0.35 mm; frequency 50 Hz. The vibration time, being one of the initial parameters, varied from 40 to 140 s. 5. Model description The data, obtained by testing the specimens is processed to get equations the form of Eq. (7). Corresponding regression coefcients can be calculated as follows:

y b0

k X i1

b i xi

k X i 1

bij xi xj

k X i1

bii x2 i

Table 2 Factorial plan of the experiments. Test no, u Factors X1 N1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 +1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X2 +1 +1 +1 +1 1 1 1 1 +1 +1 +1 +1 1 1 1 1 0 0 +1 I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X3 +1 +1 1 1 +1 +1 1 1 +1 +1 1 1 +1 +1 1 1 0 0 0 0 +1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X4 (X5) +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 +1 1 0 0 0 0

where y is the investigated parameter; b0, bi, bij, bii are the regression coefcients; [i, [ij, [ii are the investigated factors and k is the number of factors. The regression coefcients values provide information regarding the effect of appropriate factors on the initial parameter or property. The importance of regression coefcients indicates the signicance of appropriate effects. The inuence of the following main factors was studied: X1 content of steel ber (ber weight per 1 m3 of concrete, Mf, kg/m3). X2 watercement ratio (W/C). X3 neness modulus of sand (Fm). X4 stiffness of the concrete mixture, measured using a Vebe vibrating table (Vebe, sec.) [21]. X5 relation between the sand and cement content (n = S/C). The experimental program was carried out in two stages. At the rst stage the concrete mixture strengths was obtained, the strength characteristics of SFC were investigated as well as the inuence of bers content, W/C ratio, sand neness and sandcement ratio were studied (factors X1X4 in Table 1). At the second stage of the experiments strength characteristics of SFC were obtained depending on the above mentioned factors and also on the stiffness of the concrete mixture (factors X1X3,

Na

n0

L. Dvorkin et al. / Materials and Design 32 (2011) 32543262 Table 3 Concrete compositions used in the tests. Test no. Components content, kg per m3 of concrete Cement 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 367 440 367 440 373 449 373 449 367 440 367 440 373 449 373 449 404 404 400 407 404 404 370 444 404 404 404 404 Water 183 220 183 220 149 180 149 180 183 220 183 220 149 180 149 180 182 182 200 163 182 182 166 200 182 182 182 182 Fibers (Mf) 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 160 40 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Sand 1650 1540 1650 1540 1678 1571 1678 1571 1650 1540 1650 1540 1678 1571 1678 1571 1615 1615 1600 1630 1615 1615 1664 1556 1615 1615 1615 1615

3257

For full quadratic equations, obtained for repeating tests according to matrix rows, the mean quadratic error for the coefcients are obtained as follows:

Sfb0 g T 7 Sfyu g Sfbi g T 8 Sfyu g Sfbii g T 9 Sfyu g Sfbij g T 10 Sfyu g

14 15 16 17

The values of T7T10 can be obtained according to Table 5 [18]. The standard deviation of the initial parameter is calculated as follows:

Sfyu g

sP n0  1 y0u yu n0 1

18

y0 is the investigated parameter corresponding to the factors at zero (main) level. For full quadratic equations the design values of Students t-criterion, tp, for coefcients b0, bi and bij can be obtained in the following way [18]:

t pfb o g

jbo j Sfbo g jbi j Sfbi g jbij j Sfbij g

19

t pfb i g

20

b0 T 1 Oy T 2

k X iiy i1

tpfbij g

21

For coefcients bii [18]:

bi T 3 iy
k X u1

tpfbiig

jbii j Sfbii g

22

bii T 4 iiy T 5 bij T 6 iiy

Here

iiy T 2 Oy

10

The signicance level was assumed to be 0.05 and the number of degrees of freedom is:

11

ffyg n0 1

23

Oy

N X u1 N X u1

yu ;

iy

N X u1

xiu yu ;
N X xiy 2 yu ; u1

12

If a coefcient is not signicant, it can be omitted without recalculating other coefcients. After the signicance of the coefcients is estimated, the equations adequacy is checked by calculating the adequacy dispersion, the design value of Fishcers criterion (F-criterion) [18] and comparing the last with a given one. The adequacy dispersion S2 ad is obtained as:

ijy

xiy xju yu ;

iiy

13

S2 ad

^ yu 2 N m no 1
u1 y

PN

24

N is the number of plan points; yu is the experimental value of the u is the average investigated parameter in points u1un of the plan; y value of the investigated parameter in point u; [iu is the value of ith factor in the matrix row of test no. u; [ij is the value of factor j in test no. u; T1T6 are parameters for calculation of regression coefcients (Table 4). At the rst stage of regression analysis the mean quadratic errors of models estimation coefcients, S{bi}, are obtained. The coefcients are valuable if the design value of Students t-criterion, tp, is more than the given one, tn [18].
Table 4 Design values of parameters T for plan type B4. Number of factors, k 4 Plan type B4 T1 0.2292 T2 0.0625

where m is the number of signicant coefcients in the model. 2 The design value of F-criterion, Fp, is obtained for: S2 ad < Sfyg as:

Fp

S2 ad S2 fy g

25

2 and if S2 ad < Sfyg

Fp

S2 fy g S2 ad

26

T3 0.0556

T4 0.5

T5 0.1042

T6 0.0625

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Table 5 Design parameters of mean quadratic errors and coefcients of second order regression equations. Plane type B4 Number of factors, k 4 Total points number, N 28 Number of zero points, n0 4 T7 0.4787 T8 0.2357 T9 0.6212 T10 0.25

where S2 fyg is the dispersion of initial parameters reproducibility that can be obtained as

Table 7 Technical characteristics of the bers. No. Property Normative tensile strength Elasticity modulus, E Length, l Diameter, d l/d Goffer length Goffer height Units MPa MPa mm mm mm mm Value 2200 200,000 20.0 2.0 0.280.35 6580 8.0 1.0 2.0 + 1, 00.5

S2 fyu g

Pn0
1

0 y0u y n0 1

27

The given value of the F-criterion (Fm) is obtained depending on the condential probability (signicance level) and the number of degrees of freedom. In concrete technology this probability is usually equal to 95% [18]. The equation is adequate for the given probability level if Fp > Fm. For convenience of the design procedure, based on the obtained regression equations, appropriate graphs are prepared. For this reason the values of investigated parameters are calculated using mathematical models for all possible factors combinations at the variation levels. For example, dependence of an investigated parameter on two certain factors (e.g. X1 and X2) can be obtained, taking the other factors (X3, X4) at the main level (Fig. 4a). Alternatively, a graph showing the dependence of the investigated parameter for X3 = X4 = 0 on the investigated parameter for X3 = 1; 0; +1 and X4 = 0 can be obtained (see Fig. 4b). Fig. 4c is prepared to show the dependence of the investigated parameter for X4 = 0 on that for X4 = 1; 0; +1. Using the graphs, according to the value of the investigated parameter and other known factors it is possible to obtain the unknown factor in the arrow direction on the graph. 6. Experimental program 6.1. Materials properties All tested specimens were made of ne-grained steel bered concrete. Locally produced Portland cement of type II with mineral additives and strength of 42.5 MPa was used. The properties of cement are given in Table 6. As a ller of ne-grained concrete applied quartz sand from two strip mines. The llers had a neness modulus (Fm) of 1.5 and 2.5 and their surface area was 8.7 and 12.0 m2/kg, respectively. Goffered round section wire ber made of highly carbonized brassed steel was used for disperse reinforcing of ne-grained concrete. The properties of the bers are given in Table 7. 6.2. Description of specimens, storage conditions and test setup After measuring the mixture stiffness, it was used for casting the test specimens. Three identical specimens were prepared for each concrete composition. The specimens had a prismatic form

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

with dimensions of 40 40 160 mm. These dimensions correspond to a standard procedure for testing steel bered concrete based on stiff mixtures and used in thin-walled structural elements. The specimens were kept in the forms during 24 h and after that they hardened during 27 days in special chambers with humidity of 90100% and the temperature was 18 2 C. The specimens were tested in 28 days age to obtain their compression and exural strengths. The strength characteristics were measured using a test machine FP 100/1 with a 100 kN load capacity and accuracy d = 1.0%. To obtain the exural strength the specimens were located on two cylindrical supports. The distance between the supports was 100 mm. The load was applied in the middle of the span [16]. The parts of the tested specimens were further used to measure their compressive strength using a standard method, described in [16].

7. Results and discussion The specimens were prepared and tested as described above. As a result of testing, the data, presented in Table 8, was obtained. For this data corresponding statistical characteristics were obtained (see Table 9) and coefcients of regression equation were calculated. Adequate experimentalstatistical models of steel bered concrete compressive and exural strengths (Rb and Rbtb, MPa, respectively), as well as the concrete mixture stiffness (Vebe, sec.) as function of the symbolic variables are as follows:

Vebe 69:3 6:8X 1 15:4X 2 8:5X 3 27X 4 0:8X 2 1 1: 9X 2 3 1: 4X 1 X 2 9X 2 X 4 Rb 22:1 1:58X 1 2:2X 2 1:6X 3 3:1X 5 0:3X 2 1
2 0:17X 2 2 0:53X 5 0:3X 2 X 5

28

Table 6 Physicalmechanical properties of cement. No. 1 2 3 Property, units Fineness (008 fraction content), % Unit surface following Blain, cm2/g Hardening begins at ends at Unity of volume change Normal density, % Limit strength at 28 days, MPa: exural compressive Value 10.015.0 20002800 1 h, 30 min 8 h, 50 min According to the standard 25.326.4 5.65.8 42.545.7

29

Rbtb 10:1 3:1X 1 0:3X 2 0:7X 3 0:8X 5 0:9X 2 1 0:2X 2 5 0:2X 1 X 3 0:2X 1 X 5 30

4 5 6

The concrete mixture stiffness for the tested specimens varied between 40 and 140 s. Just increasing X2 and X3 yield decrease of the concrete mixture stiffness. Increase of other factors that were studied caused an increase of the concrete mixture stiffness. Quadratic effects in Eq. (28) are negligible and are inherent only for factors X1 and X3, thus the dependence form is close to linear.

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Table 8 Planning matrix and experimental data. Test no. Factors x1 N1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 +1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 x2 +1 +1 +1 +1 1 1 1 1 +1 +1 +1 +1 1 1 1 1 0 0 +1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 x3 +1 +1 1 1 +1 +1 1 1 +1 +1 1 1 +1 +1 1 1 0 0 0 0 +1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Experimental values x4 ([5) +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 +1 1 0 0 0 0 Rb, MPa 17.3 22.9 20.5 26.1 21.1 27.9 24.3 31.1 14.1 19.7 17.3 22.9 17.9 24.7 21.1 27.9 23.4 20.2 20.1 24.5 20.5 23.7 19.3 25.5 22.1 21.7 22.2 22.4 Rbtb, MPa 12.1 14.1 10.3 12.3 12.7 14.7 10.9 12.9 5.9 7.1 4.9 6.1 6.5 7.7 5.5 6.7 12.3 6.1 9.8 10.4 10.8 9.4 9.5 11.1 9.7 10.1 9.9 10.3 Calculated values (according to Eq. (28)(30)) Vebe, s 75 38 92 55 121 48 137 65 59 22 75 39 110 37 127 54 77 63 54 84 63 80 96 42 69 72 67 71 Rb, MPa 17.4 23.0 20.6 26.3 21.2 28.1 24.4 31.3 14.2 19.9 17.5 23.1 18.1 24.9 21.3 28.1 23.3 20.2 20.1 24.5 20.5 23.7 19.5 25.8 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 Rbtb, MPa 12.1 13.7 10.6 12.3 12.7 14.3 11.3 12.9 5.8 7.4 4.4 6.0 6.4 8.0 5.0 6.6 12.3 6.1 9.7 10.5 10.8 9.5 9.5 11.0 10.1 10.1 10.1 10.1 Vebe, s 74.5 37.6 91.4 54.5 120.4 47.5 137.3 64.4 58.2 21.3 75.1 38.2 109.7 36.8 126.6 53.7 76.7 63.2 54.0 84.7 62.8 79.7 96.6 41.7 69.3 69.3 69.3 69.3

Na

Table 9 Statistical characteristics of models. Model Standard deviation Mean square errors Sfb0 g Sfbi g Sfbij g 0.103 0.051 0.054 0.124 0.061 0.065 1.061 0.523 0.55 Number of signicant coefcient Number of degrees of freedom Adequacy dispersion Reproducibility dispersion Criterion of Fisher Given Fn Calculated Fp

Rb

0.216

13

8.7

3.8

Rbtb

0.258

14

8.7

3.449

Vebe

2.217

13

8.7

7.19

The most signicant combined effect is observed at interaction of factors X2 and X4. So, with an increase of ller in concrete composition (when factor X4 goes from the bottom to the upper variation level) the inuence of W/C (factor X2) on the concrete mixture stiffness increases by 2022% (Fig. 1). As known [4], W/ C is directly related with the cement paste viscosity. Decrease in viscosity yields reduction of the concrete mixture stiffness [22]. As lower is the ller content, increase of W/C is less reected in the mixture stiffness, because the decrease in viscosity is compensated by an increase of the cement paste layers on grains and reduction of friction forces [4]. The increase of the ller content leads to essential predominance of friction forces. Therefore the inuence of viscosity and cement paste quantity is less evident. Increase of ber content (factor X1) worsens the concrete mixture workability and therefore leads to linear increase of its stiffness by 78 s.

The maximum inuence on the concrete mixture stiffness is caused by the llercement ratio (factor X4). This parameter can add about 2528 s to the mixture stiffness that signicantly decreases its compatibility. In this case the more lean concrete mixtures, obtained by decreasing the cement paste volume, are used. For such mixtures the vibration time, required to achieve maximum concrete density, is longer [22]. Analysis of the mixture stiffness model shows that minimal W/C values in some cases do not enable to provide the required mixture unity and stiffness (Vebe of up to 60 s.). Increase of the W/C ratio is required. To allow practical design of SFC composition using mathematical models, it is necessary to decrease the number of unknowns in the equations. As the concrete mixture stiffness is known at the design stage [11], it was decides to include it to the model of concrete stiffness characteristics as a factor. The required stiffness values

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140 120 100 -n = 4.5 -n = 4.0 -n = 3.5

140 120 100

Vebe, s

Vebe, s

80 60 40 20 0 0,4 0,45 0,5

80 60 40 20 0 40 100 160 -F m = 2.5 -F m = 2.0 -F m = 1.5

W/C

Mf, kg/m3 of concrete

Fig. 1. Dependence of concrete mixture stiffness on the investigated factors. Note: The graphs are obtained using the model given by Eq. (28). Values of other factors were taken at the main level.

(a) 30
26 22 18 14 10 40 100 160

(b)14
12

Rbtb, MPa
W/C=0,5 W/C=0,45 W/C=0,4

Rb, MPa

10 8 6 4 2 40 100 160
W/C=0,5 W/C=0,45 W/C=0,4

Mf, kg/m3 of concrete

Mf, kg/m3 of concrete

Fig. 2. Dependence of compressive (a) and exural (b) strengths on ber content and W/C. Note. The graphs are obtained using the models given by Eq. (29) and (30). Values of other factors were taken at the main level.

were provided by changing the sandcement ratio (n) as it has the most valuable inuence on the concrete mixture stiffness (Eq. (28)). The compression strength of the tested specimens varied from 14.3 to 31.3 MPa (Eq. (29)). The average inuence of the investigated factors on the concrete strength was about 22.2 MPa. The quadratic effects were insignicant hence it is possible to conclude that the investigated factors have linear inuence on compression strength. The highest inuence on the investigated parameter (about 1517%) has factor X1 (the steel ber content), the second factor (1415%) is the sand neness. Increase of W/C and sand content yielded a decrease in concrete strength. Maximum decrease of Rb was caused by factor X5 (concrete mixture stiffness). This factor caused a change of about 3035% in Rb due to the change of binder and jammed air in the mixture [4]. Thus, the SFC compression strength depends more on the composition of the concrete matrix and on properties of materials (for example, sand neness) than on ber content. Hence increase of ber content is not effective for providing higher Rb. The exural strength model (Eq. (30)) has similar factors inuence tendencies like in that described by Eq. (29), but the coefcients values demonstrate special features of exural concrete strength. The most important parameter of this model is X1 (ber content). Increase of Mf to the maximum value (160 kg per m3 of concrete) increases the exural stiffness from 5.86.4 to 12.3 12.6 MPa (about 22.2 times). Using more rough sand (increasing the X3 factor) yields an increase of Rbtb by (1215%). Decrease of

W/C (factor X3) causes an increase of Rbtb by 910%. Dependence of compressive and exural strengths on ber content and W/C is shown in Fig. 2. Optimal design of concrete composition is usually aimed at minimizing the cement expenditure under constrain of required technical characteristics of concrete that should be achieved, like strength, workability, durability, etc. [11]. Following Fig. 1, for steel ber reinforced concrete expenditure of cement has signicantly lower inuence than ber reinforcement ratio (Fig. 3). Moreover, a growth, achieved in concrete exural strength due to decrease of W/C ratio, is negligible compared to that obtained by addition of steel bers [5]. Thus, for providing necessary SFC exural strength a major factor is the steel ber content [5]. As lower is the W/C ratio, as higher becomes the exural strength (Fig. 2). As it was noted above, steel ber content is more effective as an optimization criterion for SFC composition than cement expenditure. In this case, decrease of W/ C enables to save the ber quantity. From the viewpoint of optimal SFC composition design and providing the minimum ber expenditure for given concrete properties, it is more effective to use exible stiffness as an optimizing parameter, because the compression strength mainly depends on the concrete matrix properties and it is independent on the ber content [5]. Based on the above mentioned discussion, the following issues should be considered in the design of steel ber reinforced concrete:

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3261

160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 0,4 0,45 0,5
- Mf = 160 kg/m3 - Mf = 100 kg/m3 - Mf = 40 kg/m3

The methodology for design of concrete composition includes the following stages: 1. According to the given values of concrete exural strength, concrete mixture stiffness and ller neness, the required ber content can be found using Fig. 4. The W/C ratio is assumed to be minimal (following the lowest cost criterion). 2. Using the given and design parameters (Vebe, Mf, Fm, W/C) the cement to sand ratio (C/S) is obtained using Fig. 5. If the concrete mixture stiffness is low (below 60 s.) the W/C ratio should be increased and the ber content should be corrected accordingly. 3. The weight of cement can be obtained as:

W/
Fig. 3. Cost of the components for production of 1 m of steel bered concrete vs. ber content (Mf, kg) and W/C.
3

qc

1000 n W q C

31

Fibers ratio, kg per m3 of concrete

40 60 80 100 120 140 160

where qc and qs are the real densities of cement and sand, respectively, kg/l; 4. The water volume can be calculated as follows:

W/C
- 0.4 - 0.45 - 0.5

(a)

(b)

W C

W C

32

4. And the weight of sand is:

SCn
8. Numerical example

33

Mf
- 1.5 - 2.0 - 2.5

(c)
14 12 10 8 6

In order to demonstrate the proposed method for selection of steel bered concrete components the method is applied for nding an appropriate composition of a concrete mixture required to obtain SFC with Rbtb = 10 MPa and Vebe = 90 s. The following materials are used for production of the concrete mixture: Portland cement with 28-day compressive strength of 40 MPa with qc = 3100 kg/m3. Sand with Fm = 1.85, qs = 2650 kg/m3. Steel bers with qf = 7800 kg/m3, d = 0.3 mm and l = 3 cm.

Vebe, s
- 20 - 70 - 120

n
3.5 3.75 4.0 4.25 4.5

W/C
Fig. 4. A nomogram for obtaining the required steel ber content (Mf, kg) and W/C.

-0.4 -0.45 -0.5

the main design parameter is the tensile splitting strength providing also the required compressive strength value [4]; to avoid stratication it is preferable to use stiff concrete mixtures [22]; and the required stiffness should be obtained depending on the method of casting [11]. The required strength and technological parameters should be obtained by minimum steel ber reinforcement ratio. Using the model (Eq. (30)) enables to obtain the optimal ber content and W/C ratio that yield the required exural strength and concrete mixture stiffness for certain ller neness. The concrete mixture stiffness equation (Eq. (28)) yields corresponding cementller ratio that provides the required workability for given parameters. The problem of providing SFC properties can be realized at the design stage by solving a system of two equations (for Rbtb, MPa and Vebe, s). Analytical solution of these equations is complicated. A more convenient way is to solve the equations graphically using Figs. 4 and 5.
130

Mf, kg/m 3
-40 -100 -160

Workability (Vebe), s

110 90 70 50 30

Fm
-1.5 -2.0 -2.5

Fig. 5. A nomogram for obtaining the sandcement ratio (n).

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L. Dvorkin et al. / Materials and Design 32 (2011) 32543262

Design 1. According to the nomogram, given in Fig. 4, for Rbtb = 10 MPa, Vebe = 90 s, Fm = 1.85, the required ber content per 1 m3 of concrete is 101125 kg. Assuming the minimum W/C = 0.4, the optimum Mf = 101 kg. 2. Following the nomogram, given in Fig. 5, for the above conditions the value of n = 4.1. 3. Using Eq. (31) the required weight of cement is:

The proposed methodology enables to obtain the composition of steel bered ne-grained concrete based on stiff concrete mixture. The method considers the required compressive and exural concrete stiffness, llers neness and workability of the concrete mixture.

References
[1] Guide for specifying mixing, placing and nishing steel ber reinforced concrete. ACI Committee 544. ACI Mater; 1993. [2] Stonecypher L. Steel ber reinforced concrete. Internet resource <http:// www.brighthub.com/engineering/civil/articles/52076.aspx> [accessed 21.07.10]. [3] Fanella DA, Naaman A. Stressstrain properties of ber reinforced mortar in compression. ACI J 1985;82(4):47583. [4] Dvorkin L, Nwaubani S, Dvorkin O. Construction materials. Nova Science Publishers; 2010. 409p. [5] Day KW. Concrete mix design, quality control, and specications. 3rd ed. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2006. 214p. [6] Bayramov F, Tas Demir C, Tas Demir MA. Optimisation of steel ber reinforced concretes by means of statical response surface method. Cem Concr Res 2004;26:66575. [7] Job T, Ananth R. Mechanical properties of steel ber-reinforced concrete. J Mater Civil Eng 2007;19(5):38592. [8] Tan KH, Paramasivam P, Tan KC. Cracking characteristics of reinforced steel ber concrete beams under short- and long-term loadings. Adv Cem Based Mater 1995;2(4):12737. [9] Sorelli L, Toutlemonde F. On the design of steel ber reinforced concrete tunnel lining segments. In: 11th International conference on fracture, Turin (Italy); 2025 March, 2005. [10] Design considerations for steel ber reinforced concrete. ACI Committee Report 544, ACI 544.4R-89. American Concrete Institute, Detroit; 1989. [11] Day KW. Concrete mix design, quality control, and specications. 3rd ed. New York: Taylor & Francis e-library; 2006. [12] Nakagawa H, Akihama S, Suenaga T. Mechanical properties of various types of ber reinforced concretes. In: Proceedings of international conference on reinforced cements and concretes: recent developments. London: Elsevier Applied Science; 1989. p. 52333. [13] Ruling technical materials for design, production and application of steel bered concrete structures using steel wire RTM-17-03-2005, NIIZhB, Moscow; 2005 (80pp, in Russian). [14] Recommendations for design and production of steel bered concrete structures, BelNIIS, Minsk; 2009. 85pp (in Russian). [15] Rossi P, Harrouche N, De Leppard F. Method for optimizing the composition of metalber reinforced concretes. In: Proceedings of international conference on reinforced cements and concretes: recent developments. London: Elsevier Applied Science; 1989. p. 310. [16] ISO 679:2009. Cement-test methods-determination of strength, international organization for standardization; 01 May, 2009. p. 29. [17] Montgomery DC. Design and analysis of experiments. 5th ed. Wiley; 2000. p. 672. ivorad R. Design of experiments in chemical engineering: a practical Z [18] Lazic guide. KGaA Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co; 2004. 610p. [19] Box GEP, Hunter JS, Hunter WG. Statistics for experimenters: design, discovery and innovation. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Wiley; 2005. 655. [20] Hartmann K, Letzki E, Schfer W. Statistische Versuchsplanung und auswertung in der Stoffwirtschaft, Verlag fr Grundstofndustrie; 1974. 550p (in German). [21] EN 12350-3:2009 testing fresh concrete. Vebe test, British Standards Institution; 31 May 2009. [22] Dvorkin L, Dvorkin O. Basics of concrete science. Internet resource <ttp:// www.scribd.com/doc/6004561/Basics-of-Concrete-Science>, [accessed 20.01.11] [23] Mix design of roller compacted concrete. Internet resource <http:// constructionenglish.net/mix-design-rcc/> [accessed 2911.10].

qc

1000 1000 1 440 kg n :1 W 0:4 24:65 C 3:1 q

s

4. According to Eq. (32), the required water volume is:

W C

W 440 0:4 176 l C

5. Finally, using Eq. (33) the weight of sand is:

S C n 440 4:1 1804 kg

Hence, the design SFC composition per 1 m3 is: 440 kg of cement, 176 l of water, 1804 kg of sand and 101 kg of steel bers. 9. Conclusions The most common approach for steel bered concrete design is based on preliminary ber content calculation and further correction of concrete composition due to ber addition. Such an approach decreases the desired results as the inuence of concrete components properties and their interaction is practically neglected. Hence developing an optimization method of steel bered concrete composition, considering the inuence of concrete properties, cement stone and ller state, concrete mixture properties and its compacting quality is necessary. Adequate mathematical models of steel bered ne-grained concrete properties (concrete mixture stiffness, concrete compressive and exural strengths) were obtained using experimental data and mathematical experiment planning. The models consider the inuence of such main factors like W/C, ber content, quantity and neness of sand. Analysis of the obtained models proved that the steel ber reinforced concrete compressive strength depends mainly on the concrete matrix properties and sand neness and less on ber content. Increase of ber content aimed at providing the maximum compressive strength is not effective. Fiber content is the main factor for providing the required exural strength, however decreasing the W/C ratio is also positive. It is preferable to use ber content as an optimization criterion rather than cement expenditure. In this case decreasing the W/C ratio is logical, as it allows further ber saving. The problem of providing the required steel bered concrete properties can be realized at the design stage by solving two equations (for concrete exural strength Rbtb and for concrete mixture stiffness Vebe). Solution of these equations is more convenient if the developed in the study nomograms are used.