Numerical Study on the Pullout Behavior of Steel Fibers in Cement-Based Composites

Abstract

The interaction between steel fiber and surrounding cement-based matrix and concrete materials is crucial in the behavior of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (SFRC). This interaction is generally measured through a single fiber Pull-out test. Considerable research has been conducted in this field. However, efforts have been largely directed to the analytical and experimental methods, whereas very limited research has been performed using the finite element method. Having an authentic numerical model, numerical parametric studies together with experiments can serve as an essential tool to enhance the understating of bond behavior. Therefore, this study attempts to numerically investigate the behavior of fiber bonds in SFRC composites. The bond behavior was investigated using different approaches of modeling bonds in the LS-Dyna explicit software. The validation of the finite element model was performed with the comparison of computed and experimental pull-out force obtained from the literature. It is shown that the validation is possible for all investigated approaches and the computation results showed a strong agreement between pull-out force and relative displacement with experimental results of previous studies. Finally, the validated model is employed as a powerful tool to simulate the bond behavior of a single steel fiber embedded in a cement-based matrix.