Impact of the Fiber Distribution Characteristics on the Uniaxial Behaviour of Fiber-Reinforced Composites- An Experimental Study

Abstract

The demand for development of fiber-reinforced composites has enhanced as the practise of integrating fibres into concrete has become prevalent over the past few decades.. The intersection zone where the fiber crossing the fracture surface and fiber distribution characteristics in the composite plays an important role in predicting the overall performance of the Fiber Reinforced Composite (FRC). To ascertain the orientation and distribution of the fibres in various FRC's, a variety of experimental methods have been proposed in the literature. This study aimed to assess the impact of fibre orientation and fibre distribution characteristics on the fresh and hardened properties of Hybrid FRC's and Hybrid Graded FRC's containing glass and steel fibres. It can be concluded that the methods adopted in this study for calculating the fiber distribution and orientation characteristics were reliable and the proposed equations were successful in predicting the uniaxial behaviour of FRC. Positive synergy was observed in the Hybrid Graded FRC specimens, which was attributed to the superior fibre distribution characteristics displayed by hybrid grading of fibres, which was rationalised by the fact that modifying the fibre distribution characteristics would affect the FRC's behaviour.