Influence of Fiber Geometry and Type on Creep Rupture of Cracked Fiber-Reinforced Shotcrete Mixtures

It is well known that creep can affect the serviceability of concrete structures, including tunnel linings made using fiber-reinforced shotcrete (FRS). However, the possible effect of creep on the strength of structures is seldom explicitly considered in design. For cracked FRS loaded in tension or flexure, creep rupture of the fiber-concrete composite, either by pullout or rupture of fibers, can lead to structural collapse, at least when no alternative load path exists. In the present investigation, the influence of fiber geometry and surface roughness on creep rupture (expressed as the time-to-collapse) of FRS panel specimens subjected to a sustained flexural-tensile load has been assessed. The results suggest that geometric aspects of fiber design influence the propensity of the fiber composite to suffer creep rupture at a crack, and that collapse primarily occurs as a result of fiber pullout rather than tertiary creep of individual fibers. For the fibers presently investigated, geometric aspects of fiber design appear to exert a greater influence on creep rupture of the fiber composite than the properties of the material comprising the fibers.