CONTROLS tackles fibre-reinforced concrete

摘要

Fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) has long been used for road pavements and is now a common material for civil engineering applications such as precast tunnel segments and sprayed concrete linings. However, testing FRC is challenging because the fibres -which are usually steel or macro-synthetic - rupture suddenly, causing the specimen to lose its bearing capacity. During this critical phase any sudden release of elastic energy by the frame of the testing machine may cause the premature rupture of the specimen and the consequent loss of the test results. For this reason, the International Standards require a minimum frame stiffness of 200 kN/mm.