Three-dimensional model for analysis of high performance fiber reinforced cement-based composites

High performance fiber reinforced cement-based composites (HPFRCCs) are distinguished from regular cement materials by their strain hardening behavior under uniaxial tension as well as significantly enhanced durability, damage tolerance, and shear resistance. This paper presents a three-dimensional constitutive model for the nonlinear finite element analysis of HPFRCC structures. The proposed material model is an orthotropic hypoplastic model. Based on the smeared rotating crack approach, the directions of orthotropy are assumed to coincide with the principal strain directions. The constitutive model is capable of accounting for the general nonlinear behavior of HPFRCC, including the effects of multiple narrow cracking, crack localization, and compression crushing. The performance of the proposed model is demonstrated using data from experimental tests carried out on a punching shear slab and a two-span continuous beam. Comparisons between numerical solutions and experimental results suggest that the developed material model is able to represent the observed experimental behavior with reasonable accuracy. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.