Interaction between high performance fiber reinforced cement-based composites and steel reinforcement

This paper presents results on the interaction between a mild steel reinforcing bar and two High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement-based Composite (HPFRCC) matrices, a Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete (HyFRC) composite with and without high cement replacement by fly ash and an Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC). The experimental program consists of rebar pull-out tests conducted under both monotonic and cyclic loading with and without transverse steel spiral reinforcement. In addition, fiber pull-out tests to investigate the synergy between micro- and macrofibers in HyFRC on rebar pull-out resistance were also conducted. The multiscale crack control in HyFRC avoids matrix splitting and instead guarantees the more ductile frictional rebar pull-out behavior. The HyFRC matrix without fly ash exhibits the best rebar bond performance among all HPFRCCs under investigation.