A simple experimental and simulation framework for the design of steel fiber reinforced concrete

Steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) has proven to provide excellent mechanical performance in terms of increased strength, ductility and energy absorption capacity [1]. These enhancements are provided by bridging phenomena and multiple-cracking distribution [1]. The numerical simulation of its mechanical behavior cannot be carried out with standard commercial codes yet, and its numerical simulation is mostly limited to academic research. With the goal of carrying out engineering design and optimization SFRC structures, this paper presents the implementation of an experimental and numerical framework for the design of structures by means of SFRC. The presented work is based on previous results by other authors in modelling SFRC by means of an efficient multilevel computational framework [2], in which interface elements characterizing the bridging and cracking phenomena [3] are embedded within pre-existing Finite Element Method (FEM) codes. This framework will be implemented and validated in existing in-house FEM codes and in an open-source FEM package. In parallel, adequate experimentation has been carried out to define input parameters [4] and, validate the numerical algorithm. Overall, the framework intends to provide a general guideline for the efficient design of SFRC structures.