TEST METHODS FOR FLEXURAL TOUGHNESS CHARACTERIZATION OF FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE - SOME CONCERNS AND A PROPOSITION

The major advantage of fiber reinforced concrete over its unreinforced counterpart is in the improved energy-absorption capability, or tough ness. The current methods of characterizing the toughness of fiber rei nforced concrete, however, have proven to be largely inadequate and ha ve caused a great deal of dissent and confusion. This paper discusses some of the major difficulties with these standard methods and demonst rates their susceptibility to human judgment errors. The paper also pr oposes an alternate technique that addresses some of these concerns an d is capable of characterizing fiber reinforced concrete toughness in an objective manner.