Durability of cracked fibre reinforced concrete structures

Durability studies are carried out at BKM as part of the research project "Design Methods for Fibre Reinforced Concrete" (FRC) involving BKM, The Concrete Research Center at DTI, Building Technology at Aalborg University, Rambøll, 4K-Beton and Rasmussen & Schiøtz. Concrete beams with or without fibre reinforcement are exposed to a combination of mechanical and environmental load to indicate whether fibre reinforcement will improve the durability of cracked concrete structures. Secondly, it is the aim to identify important mechanisms for the effect of the fibre reinforcement on the durability and the pore structure.Mechanical load is obtained by exposing beams to 4-point bending until a predefined crack width is reached. A test arrangement is developed. The surface crack pattern is characterized using video-scanning and digital image analysis. As environmental load, exposure to 1) a concentrated chloride solution or 2) water (capillary suction) is used. Penetration of chlorides will be characterized qualitatively (Color-test) as well as quantitatively (Rapid Chloride Test from Germann).Additional durability tests (freeze-thaw, water vapour diffusion, chloride permeability) and studies of pore structure are made on specimens drilled or sawed from beams after unloading (mechanical load). The pore structure of the concretes will be studied by microscopy, sorption and suction curves. The test programme involves three different concrete qualities (water-cement ratios). Both steel fibres (ZP) and polypropylene fibres (PP) are used in the concrete beams as well as main reinforcement. Results of the durability tests on cracked FRC-beams are compared with results for uncracked FRC-beams and beams without fibres.