Investigation of the Effect of Steel Fibers on the Thermal Behavior of Fibrous Concrete under FEM Finite Element Analysis

With the passage of time and the increase in world population, the need for progress in the field of construction, maintenance, and retrofitting of existing structures and the use of new technologies is felt more than ever. Fiber concrete is a type of composite that increases tensile strength by using reinforcing fibers inside the concrete mix. This composite composition has good integrity and cohesion and allows the use of concrete as a formable material to produce high-strength curved surfaces. Fiber concrete also has a high energy absorption capacity and does not disintegrate easily under impact loads. The historical evidence of this technology is the use of thatch in buildings to replace concrete fibers. Fiber concrete is an advanced type of this technology in which new natural and synthetic fibers have replaced straw, and cement has replaced mud used in straw. Fiber concrete has suitable properties such as high ductility, excellent strength, energy absorption, and cracking stability, which can be used for many applications. Therefore, in this study, to investigate the effect of steel fiber percentage on the thermal behavior of fibrous concrete under finite element analysis, four study samples with a fiber content of 0 to 1.5% were used. For numerical modeling, Abaqus finite element program was used. From modeling and numerical analysis, it was concluded that the effect of steel fibers in the concrete mixing design reduces the heat caused by the hydration of cement and improves the performance of concrete.

Keywords: Fiber concrete; Steel fibers; Numerical analysis; Finite elements