Title:
Flexural Behavior of Composite R.C.-Slurry Infiltrated Mat Concrete (SIMCON) Members
Author(s):
Neven Krstulovic-Opara, Erdem Dogan, Chia-Ming Uang, and Adbol R. Haghayeghi
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
94
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
502-512
Keywords:
composite beams; experimental investigation; fiber reinforced
concrete; flexural retrofit; high performance construction materials; metal
fibers; slurries;
non-linear analytical procedure; reinforced concrete;
DOI:
10.14359/500
Date:
9/1/1997
Abstract:
This paper explores the structural use of a new High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (HPFRC) called Slurry Infiltrated Mat Concrete (SIMCON) and presents the effect of using this material on flexural strength and energy absorption of composite members. SIMCON is made by first placing continuous stainless steel fiber-mats into the form followed by infiltration of the dense fiber network with a cement-based slurry. These mats are "pre-woven" and delivered to the site in large rolls. The mats need only to be "unfurled" into the formwork, thus substantially simplifying the manufacturing process, as compared to reinforced concrete. The advantages of SIMCON, namely high strength, high toughness, excellent crack control, and good constructability, make it well suited for development of high-performance infrastructural systems. The paper describes the flexural behavior of composite SIMCON members, and provides a non-linear analysis procedure capable of accurately predicting the moment-curvature behavior of these members. Due to its fiber-mat configuration, SIMCON is well suited for (a) structural repair/retrofit by wrapping around existing structural members, and (b) new construction as stay-in-place formwork. SIMCON use in repair/retrofit was evaluated experimentally by testing three different repair/retrofit layouts: on the beam top, at the beam bottom, and on three beam sides (bottom and two side faces). An analytical evaluation procedure was developed and then used to investigate the performance of new composite members. The use of SIMCON increased strength, energy absorption capacities, durability, and allowed for optimization of member weight and height.