Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Mechanics and Technology of Composite Materials September 15-17, 2003, Sofia, Bulgaria

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF FLEXURAL BEHAVIOUR OF CONTINUOUS FIBRES REINFORCED CONCRETE R. Cabrillac1, V. Langlois1,2, B. Fiorio1 , A.-L. Beaucour1, D. Gouvenot2
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Laboratoire de Modlisation, Matriaux et Structures (UMR 7143) University of Cergy-Pontoise, France 2 Soltanche-Bachy, France.

Introduction This paper comes within the framework of works of which the aim is to remove the steel cages in reinforced concrete structures, to simplify the realization of building by avoiding the transport of voluminous and massive cages and by reducing the number of material handling equipment. The use of short fibres introduced into the concrete during mixing is an attractive but unsatisfactory solution. Indeed, the range of fibre volumes conferring an acceptable workability on the freshlymixed concrete allows only a reduced mechanical effectiveness [1]. In particular, the tensile strengths obtained do not allow a use of the short fibre reinforced concretes in a structural role [2]. Others cementitious composites exist such as SIFCON (slurry infiltrated fibre concrete) and the SIMCON (slurry infiltrated mat concrete). These materials use the technique of slurry infiltration in a steel fibre network. This technique of setting makes it possible to obtain a greater fibre volume than the traditional technique of the reinforced fibre concrete. The SIFCON uses short fibres, whereas the SIMCON uses prefabricated continuous fibre-mats (in fact, a length of 142 mm). Murakami and Zeng [3] show that at the same fibre volume, the SIMCON has a better resistance (more twice higher) and a better ductility than the SIFCON. The use of continuous fibres has an unquestionable advantage in term of resistance. We present in this article a study undertaken on mortars reinforced by two main types of continuous fibres: epoxy carbon grids and carbon or glass yarn. Experimental process Two principal types of reinforcement were studied: carbon grids impregnated with an epoxy binder and rough glass or carbon fibres being presented in the form of yarn. The yarn of glass is presented in the form of an assemblage of millimetric wicks (each wick being an assemblage of micrometric filaments stuck between them), whereas the carbon yarn is made up an assemblage of micrometric filaments. The characteristics of fibres are gathered in table 1. To determine the mechanical characteristics of the cementitious composites, four points flexural tests were carried out at 28 days on prismatic 7 x 7 x 28 cm specimens. The cementitious matrix of the specimens is a mortar made with standardized sand and a blast furnace cement, and his formulation in mass proportion is: Sand/Cement = 0.7 and Water/Cement = 0.5. The tests were led 9

with a constant speed of the crosshead (2mm/s). Moreover, to prevent a shear rupture of the specimens, stirrups generating a transverse compression in the vicinity of the rests were placed on the specimens (figure 1). The fibres were laid out manually in horizontal beds, and directed according to the longitudinal direction of the specimens. Several configurations of the beds were used (figure 2a). For the yarn reinforced specimens, the number of yarns per bed varied, whereas for the grid reinforced specimens, the number of longitudinal yarn per bed was 3. As the strength of carbon yarn/mortar interface does not allow a good anchorage of the carbon yarns, we carried out a mechanical anchorage by making loops on yarn at the ends of the specimens (figure 2b). For the glass yarn reinforced specimens, the length of yarns allowed a good anchorage. Table 1 : Characteristics of fibres.
Type of fibres Density (g/cm3) Linear mass (tex=g/km) Tensile strength (MPa) Elastic modulus (GPa) Break strain (%) Description Carbon (Yarn) 1.81 728 2740 392 0.7 Assemblage of micro filaments Glass (yarn) 2.68 2450 1500 72 2.1 Assemblage of wicks Carbon (grid) 1.8 1670 3800 228 1.6 Filaments impregnated with an epoxy resin

Fig. 1. Four points flexural test with stirrups

Fig. 2. Different configurations of beds (a) and anchorage of carbon yarn (b). Different types of behaviour Figure 3 gives the typical forms of the load-displacement curves obtained during the flexural tests. We observe a first quasi linear phase of behaviour which finishes with the opening of the first crack (point A on figure 3) involving a sharp fall of the load. Then the specimen continues to deform with apparition of macro cracks (figures 3 and 4). A maximum value of the load after the opening of the first cracks exists. We call it after post-cracking maximum load (point B on figure 3). Whatever the type of reinforcement, anchorage of fibres is ensured, but two modes of rupture of the specimens are observed according to the type of reinforcement (types I and II on figure 3). Type I test (figure 3a) is characterized by a brutal rupture of fibres at the end of the test. For the behaviour of type II (figure 3b), there is no brutal rupture of fibres. We define the rupture of the 10

specimen when the measured load becomes lower than the third of the post-cracking maximum load (point D on the figure 3b). Table 2 recapitulates the behaviours observed for each type of reinforcements.

Fig. 3. Characteristic points of load/displacement curves.

Fig. 4. Different types of macro cracks Figure 3 recapitulates the different characteristic points of the load/displacement curves. We will study in the paper the evolution of the energies (surface under the curve) associated to these various points according to the configurations or to the fibre volume. We will obtain some information on the ductility of the material and on the contribution of the fibres in term of dissipated energy. We will note EIJ the area located under the portion of the curve ranging between the points I and J. Table 2 : Observed flexural behaviour by type of fibres.
Type of behaviour Type I Type II Type of fibres Carbon/epoxy grid Glass or carbon yarn

Carbon-epoxy grids reinforced specimens The first crack load is lower in all the cases than the flexural strength of the mortar (figure 5a). The post-cracking maximum load, for all the configurations except for configuration 1, is higher than the mortar strength, and it exceeds for all the configurations the first crack load (figure 5a). We observe also it grows with the number of beds. More over, the presence of a bed of grid in the higher part of the specimen does not modify the value of the post-cracking maximum load (configurations 2 and 3 give very similar results). Concerning cracking, we notice that the number of cracks rises slightly with the number of grids placed in the lower part of specimen, and increases with the difference between the maximum postcracking load and the first crack load (figure 5b). The horizontal cracks which appear after the opening of flexural cracks are not taken into account in the figure presented, because their opening is less clear than others cracks. However they influence the behaviour of material. Indeed, the opening of the horizontal cracks could partly explain the variations noted between measurements 11

and calculations carried out by considering a perfect fibre/mortar bond (figure 6a, calculation1). This calculation suitably approaches the measurements carried out in configurations 1, 2 and 3, but does not explain the strength obtained in configuration 4. To approach this value, it is necessary to suppose that at the instant of the failure of the specimens, all the grids reached their tensile strength (calculation2). This condition can be obtained in practice if the lower beds of grid slip during the test. The presence of horizontal cracks at the level of the lower beds can support such slips. The compression of the stirrups preventing that these cracks develop over the entire length of the specimens, the slip remains localised and the presence of transverse yarn allows to ensure an anchorage of the longitudinal yarns. Energies dissipated to reach the post-cracking maximum load and to reach the end of test increase with the number of beds placed in the lower part of the specimens (figure 6b). Characteristic energies are related to the value of the post-cracking maximum load. The part of total energy devoted to the opening of the first crack is relatively weak.

Fig. 5. Carbon/epoxy grid : (a) Post-cracking maximum load, (b) Total number of cracks.

Fig. 6. Carbon/epoxy grid : (a) Comparison between calculation and experience, (b) Energy dissipated at characteristics points. Glass or carbon yarn reinforced specimens The post cracking maximum load grows with the fibre volume (figure 7). In the range of fibre volume tested (0.05 % to 0.34 %), there remains lower than the mortar strength alone (except for the yarn of glass in configuration 4). For a same configuration, the relation between the postcracking maximum load and the fibre volume is linear. The distribution of the carbon fibres over the height of the section seems more unfavourable than their concentration on few lower beds (this result is less obvious in the case of the glass yarn : no differences between configurations 1 and 2 on the few points of measurement are observed). For the glass yarn reinforced specimens, the total number of cracks increases with fibre volume, i.e. when the difference between the post-cracking maximum load and the first crack load grows (figure 8). On the other hand, for the carbon yarn reinforced specimens, only one crack appears whatever the fibre volume is. This is partly due to the fact that, in the range of the fibre volume 12

tested, the post-cracking maximum load always remained lower than the first crack load. We can also think that the fibre/mortar interface has a significant role in cracking. The influences of the interface on cracking of mortar reinforced by a scattered continuous yarn was already studied by Langlois and al. [4].

Fig. 7. Post-cracking maximum load Carbon and glass yarns.

Fig. 8. Total number of flexural cracks Glass yarns. To study the evolution of the characteristic energies according to the fibre volume, we will be interested only in configuration 1. The energy dissipated during tests on carbon yarn reinforced specimens is higher than the one dissipated during the tests on the glass yarn reinforced specimens (figure 9). This is particularly true for weak fibre volumes, while at the same time the post-cracking maximum loads measured for two materials are close (Figure 7). This result is surprising because the carbon fibre has an break elongation 3 times lower than the one of glass fibre. This testifies a significant difference in behaviour between the two cementitious composites, and more precisely between the two fibre/mortar interfaces. It is seen that the contribution of the carbon yarn, even for weak fibre volumes, is significant: the energy dissipated after the first crack opening is 4 to 6 times higher than the one dissipated to open the first crack. With regard to the parts of energy EAB, EBC and ECD in the post cracking energy EAD, we observe that they vary little with the fibre volume in the case of the carbon yarn, then they evolve in a more significant way in the case of the glass yarn (figure 10). Thus for the glass yarn, the share of EAB becomes increasingly significant compared to that of EBD when the fibre volume increases. If we interest in EAB energy dissipated between the formation of the first crack and the post-cracking maximum load, we observe that it is an increasing linear function of fibre volume in the case of the carbon yarn, when it is an increasing parabolic function in the case of the glass yarn (figure 9). Concerning the EBD energy, we observe that it 13

tends, for the carbon yarn as for the yarn of glass, to evolve linearly with the fibre volume when this one exceeds approximately 0.01% (figure 11). Thus while extrapolating for highest fibre volumes, one must obtain an independence of the ductility (characterized by the EBD/EOB ratio) of the carbon yarn reinforced specimens with fibre volume, and a reduction in the ductility of the glass yarn reinforced specimens when fibre volume increases. It was one of our previous observations on glass yarn reinforced mortars [4].

Fig. 9. Energy Carbon yarn (a) and glass yarn (b).

Fig. 10. Repartition of the post cracking energy - Carbon yarn (a) and glass yarn (b).

Fig. 11. Sum of energies of the CD and BC parts - Carbon yarn (a) and glass yarn (b). Conclusion This study confirms and supplements some points of the studies previously undertaken on these types of reinforcements. We could check that the presence of epoxy carbon grid allows to improve the strength and the ductility of the mortar. Moreover, the horizontal cracks directed parallel to the beds of reinforcements can lead to the slips of the grids, which should be taken into account in the 14

calculation of the post-cracking maximum load. In the case of the specimens reinforced with carbon or glass yarn, there is an increasing linear relation between the maximum post-cracking load and the fibre volume. The addition of glass or carbon yarn improves ductility of the mortar. By studying the evolution of characteristic energies, we noted significant differences in behaviour between the carbon yarn reinforced specimens and those reinforced with glass yarn. The ductility of the glass yarn reinforced specimens tends to drop when fibre volume increases, whereas in the case of the carbon yarn reinforced specimens, it evolves little. REFERENCES 1. Absi E. (1994), Bton de fibres - Synthse des tudes et recherches ralises au CEBTP , Annales de l'ITBTP, n520, p.85-127 (in French). 2. Swamy R.N. (2000), FRC for sustainable infrastructure regeneration and rehabilitation , Fifth RILEM Symposium on Fibre-Reinforced Concretes (FRC) BEFIB' 2000, p. 3-18, 2000 3. Murakami H., Zeng J. Y. (1998) Experimental and analytical study of SIMCON tension members Mechanics of Materials , vol. 28, p. 181-195. 4. Langlois V., Fiorio B., Beaucour A.-L., Cabrillac R., Gouvenot D. (2002), Etude prliminaire de btons renforcs de fibres longues ou continues , Rencontres AUGC 2002, Toulouse, France, mai 2002 (in French).

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