Crack arresting mechanism of fiber reinforced

concrete
Z. J. Yi1, Z. W. Li2, Q. G. Yang1, W. D. Deng3 & Y. H. Ma1
1
Department of Bridge and Structure Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong
University, Chongqing 400074, P. R. China
2
Chongqing Expressway Construction Co. Ltd, Chongqing, P. R. China
3
Chongqing Communications Research and Design Institute, Chongqing,
P. R. China

Abstract
The cracking arresting property of FRC has been well proved by a lot of
experiments and has been applied extensively. This paper tends to propose a
more rational interpretation to the mechanism of FRC. The K-superposition
method has been improved in this paper to interpret the crack arresting
mechanism of fiber reinforced concrete. A simple and direct approach has been
introduced based on the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM). The
behavior of fibers in the process of crack arresting has been revealed
fundamentally. It has been shown that the stress intensity factor due to the fiber
is extremely great at the moment the fiber just strides cross the crack, which
greatly reduces the total amount of the stress intensity factor of FRC.
Keywords: concrete, fiber reinforced concrete, fracture mechanics, crack.

1 Introduction
When fibers, whether continuous or discontinuous, are added to the brittle cement
concrete, the fracture toughness, fatigue resistance behavior and strength of the
resultant composites are significantly improved, which has been proved by a lot of
experimental investigations and engineering applications. The fibers are capable of
sustaining a stress greater than causes the matrix to crack. The fracture mechanism of
FRC (fiber reinforced concrete) has been studied extensively. Exhaustive reviews of
these works are available from Cotterell and Mai [1] and Bazant [2].

Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII, C. A. Brebbia & A. Varvani-Farahani (Editors)

© 2004 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-707-8
36 Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII

Two broad categories of models used for prediction of fracture mechanism of

FRC are LEFM models and Non-Linear models, which can be categorized in more
detail as models based on the theory of multiple fracture, fictitious crack models,
composite fracture models, damage models, interface mechanics models and
micromechanics models. However, the K-superposition method based on the LEFM
is still the most basic one. The K-superposition principle proposed by Romualdi et al
[3][4] has influenced the subsequent investigations a great deal. His understanding is
one of the most recognized one on FRC up to the present yet.

Figure 1: The rivet action of fibers. Figure 2: Bridging fibers are replaced by
uniform distributed pressure p.

The K-superposition method was first proposed by Ramualdi et al [3][4] and

was developed by Lenain and Bunsell [5]. According to the K-superposition method,
the total stress intensity factor K at the tip of a crack in FRC is given by
K = Km −K f (1)
where Km is the stress intensity factor of the cement concrete matrix in the absence of
the fibers and K f is the stress intensity factor due to the fibers. Clearly, this method
has given a satisfactory understanding that the fibers resist cracking due to the
reduction of stress intensity factor by K f. However, the approach of Romualdi et al
assumed perfect bond between the fiber and the matrix and the fiber forces are
considered to be rivet forces. Such assumption is acceptable only under the condition
that an original crack is located between fibers before the crack tip passes the fibers
as depicted as in Figure 1. Lenain and Bunsell considered the bridging of a lot of
fibers across the crack. Lenain and Bunsell's approach was proposed in which the
bridging fibers across the crack were replaced by a uniformly distributed pressure p
as depicted in Figure 2. These two approaches illustrated the mechanism that the role
of fibers is to reduce the stress intensity factor of the matrix. However, they did not
disclose the failure process between fibers and the matrix, so the surprising great
crack arresting effect of a fiber could not be recognized when a crack tip meets the
fiber.

Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII, C. A. Brebbia & A. Varvani-Farahani (Editors)

© 2004 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-707-8
 Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII 37

The cracking arresting property of FRC has been well proved by a lot of
experiments and has been applied extensively. This paper tends to propose a more
rational interpretation to the mechanism of FRC. A very simple and effective
approach is introduced to interpret the role of fibers in FRC. It can be realized that
the reduction of the total stress intensity factor due to the fibers is significantly great
when a crack just passes across a fiber. The analysis of this paper might be the most
simple and effective one among the previous analysis by the K-superposition
method. The mechanism of crack arresting behavior of FRC is revealed distinctly.

2 Some micromechanical considerations and the value of K f

In order to give a qualitative understanding of the fracture mechanism of FRC, a
crack is assumed to be located in an infinite plate in tension with unit thickness as
shown in Figure 3. The fibers are assumed vertical to the crack plane. In convenience
for mechanics analysis, the thickness of the plate is assumed thin enough. So the
plate is under the plane stress condition. The action of fibers in the plate can then be
simplified as pairs of point forces acting on crack surfaces according to the famous
Saint-Venant's principle. If crack arresting property of fibers in cement concrete
matrix has its universal meaning, the property revealed under plane stress condition
(thin plate) would surely have its applicability under other conditions.
Here it would be indicated that only those fibers parallel or nearly parallel to the
tensile stress are effective in crack control. For short discontinuous fibers that are
randomly originated, only a fraction of them is vertical to the crack plane. Even then,
some correction can be made for those fibers that are ineffectively oriented in the
volume space [4].
The micromechanical process between the fibers and the cement concrete
matrix is considered as following. Similar understanding can refer to Kanninen and
Popelar [6] for fiber reinforced composite material. The difference of our
understanding from that of Kanninen and Popelar is that their emphasis is on
interpretation of fiber “pull-out” or “breakage” while our emphasis is on fracture
resistance mechanism prior to fiber “pull-out” or “breakage”.
The stiffness and the strength of the fibers are usually much higher than those of
the matrix. In the absence of cracks, perfect bond between the fibers and the matrix is
assumed. When a crack is located with its tip close to an intact fiber as shown in
Figure 3, rivet forces due to the fiber would occur to resist the crack extension [3].
However, with load increase, the high stress concentration of the crack tip nearby a
fiber would cause the fiber and the matrix to debond along their interface. Then the
crack tip would cross the fiber as depicted in Figure 4. Before the fiber "pull out" or
“break”, the debonded section is small while the remaining interface is intact. At the
moment that the crack just passes across the fiber, the sudden split of the matrix
would cause tremendous strain within the debonded part of the fiber and significant
internal tensile force would occur in the fiber. Thus, a pair of point forces P can
replace the action of the fiber. According to the Saint-Venant's principle, the point
forces can be considered to act on the crack surfaces as shown in Figure 5 because
the debonding area is small and the thickness of the plate is assumed small enough.
Thus the stress intensity factor of the question can be written as

Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII, C. A. Brebbia & A. Varvani-Farahani (Editors)

© 2004 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-707-8
38 Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII

K = Km −K f (1a)
which is coincident with the K-superposition principle as shown in equation (1).
Clearly, Km is the stress intensity factor of the matrix in the absence of fibers and K f
is the stress intensity factor due to P.

Figure 3: Crack located at the interior Figure 4: The moment that the crack just
between two fibers. crosses a fiber.

To simplify the question, only one fiber is considered first while the role of
other fibers will be illustrated later.
The stress intensity factor of the cement concrete plate due to the uniform stress
σ is
K m = K Im = σ πa (2)
where a is half the length of the crack. The subscript “I” means mode I crack. For the
geometry of Figure 5, K f in equation (1a), which is the stress intensity factor of the
point forces P due to one fiber, can be written as [7]
P 2a − b
K f = K If = (3)
πa b
where b is the distance from the crack tip back to the fiber. At the moment that the
crack tip just passes across the fiber, b is a tiny value. From equation (3), when
b → 0 , there will be
Kf →∞ (4)
Obviously, the stress intensity factor due to the fiber is extremely great at the
moment the crack just strides cross the crack, which greatly reduces the total amount
of the stress intensity factor of the problem. So, it is hard for a crack passes across a
fiber. Even if the crack passes across the fiber, it will meet another following fiber,

Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII, C. A. Brebbia & A. Varvani-Farahani (Editors)

© 2004 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-707-8
 Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII 39

the same significant stress intensity factor due to the fiber will occur to resist
cracking again.
When a lot of fibers bridge the crack as shown in Figure 6, K f can be written as
Pi 2a − bi
Kf =∑ (5)
i πa bi
Clearly, the totaled stress intensity factor of the bridging fibers, including the
maximum effect of the closest fiber to the crack tip, is significant. So crack growth is
greatly resisted by the fibers. That is why the fracture behavior of FRC is improved
dramatically.
The interpretation above is undoubtedly convincing because the role of fibers in
the process of crack arresting has been revealed precise. The approaches given by
Romualdi et al and Lenain and Bunsell failed to analysis the detailed failure process
between fibers and the matrix. So the maximum effect of the closest fiber to the crack
tip has not been deeply revealed.

σ
P1 P2 Pi Pj

P bj

bi
b
b2
2a
b1

Figure 5: A bridging fiber is replaced Figure 6: A lot of bridging fibers are

by a pair of point forces P. replaced by point forces.

3 Conclusions
The analysis in this paper is under the assumption that the thickness of the cracked
plate is small enough, i.e. the analysis is performed under the plane stress condition.
Such treatment can bring advantages as follows: i) The action of fibers can be
simplified as point forces while only tiny errors would occur according to the Saint-
Venant's principle when the plate is thin enough. ii) The analysis can be done fiber by
fiber, thus the failure process can be clearly revealed. iii) The crack arresting property
of FRC revealed in plane stress condition (thin plate) has its applicability under other
conditions, i.e. the beneficial property has its general meaning.

Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII, C. A. Brebbia & A. Varvani-Farahani (Editors)

© 2004 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-707-8
40 Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII

The stress intensity factor due to a fiber is remarkable at the moment the crack
just strides across a fiber, which greatly reduces the total stress intensity factor of the
cracked plate. So, it is hard for a crack passes across a fiber. When a lot of fibers
bridge a crack, the total stress intensity factor reduced by the fibers is also significant.
So, fracture behavior is greatly improved when fibers are added into concrete.
The analysis concentrates on revealing the fracture mechanism prior to the
fibers’ “pullout” or “breakage”. The fibers will lose their crack arresting function as
soon as they are pulled out or broken, which makes it clear in the opposite that good
bonding between the fibers and the matrix be appreciated and high strength of fibers
selected during the designing of FRC. Meanwhile, closely spaced fibers would show
better fracture and fatigue resistance in FRC.

Acknowledgements
This work was based on a science project from the Ministry of Communications of
China as well as a science project from the Science and Technology Committee of
Chongqing Government.

References
[1] Cotterell, B. & Mai, Y. W., Fracture Mechanics of Cementitious Material, 1st
Edition, Blackie Academic and Professional, Chapman and Hall, 1996.
[2] Bazant, Z. P., Fracture Mechanics of Concrete Structures, London and New
York: Elsevier Applied Science, pp. 109-113, 1992.
[3] Romualdi, J. P. & Batson, G. B., The behavior of reinforced concrete beams
with closely placed reinforcement, ACI Journal, 60, pp. 775-789. 1963.
[4] Romualdi, J. P., & Mandel, J. A., Tensile strength of concrete affected by
uniformly distributed and closely spaced short lengths of wire reinforcement.
ACI Journal, 61, pp. 657-671, 1964.
[5] Lenain, J. C. & Bunsell, A. R., The resistance to crack growth of asbestos
cement, Journal of Materials Science, 14, pp. 321-332, 1979.
[6] Kanninen, M. F. & Popelar, C. H., Advanced Fracture Mechanics, New York:
Oxford University Press, 1985.
[7] Sih, G. C., Handbook of Stress Intensity Factors, Bethlehem: Lehigh University,
1973.

Damage and Fracture Mechanics VIII, C. A. Brebbia & A. Varvani-Farahani (Editors)

© 2004 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-707-8