Evaluation of standardized test methods to characterize fiber reinforced cement composites

This paper describes an investigation of standardized test methods to characterize fiber reinforced cementitious composites in terms of their behavior under flexural loading and its relation to their tensile stress-deformation response. Flexural testing and derivation of the tensile stress-deformation response are preferred in standardized testing of Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (FRCC) over the direct assessment of the tensile behavior because of the more convenient test setup and ease of specimen preparation.

Four-point bending tests were carried out to evaluate the flexural response of FRCC and their results are compared to data obtained from direct tensile testing. The details of the formation of cracking are an important underlying assumption in the standardized evaluation procedures as well as in the established correlation models between flexural and tensile behavior.

This detail has been documented in the present study using a photogrammetric image analysis system, which can be used to relate the flexural crack formation and resulting load-deformation response to the data obtained from direct assessment of the tensile stress-crack opening response of FRCC materials.