What is it about?
This study investigates how the length of macro synthetic fibres influences the performance of fibre-reinforced concrete. Longer fibres generally provide stronger anchorage in the concrete matrix and can increase the energy absorbed during crack opening, but they may also negatively affect workability and fibre distribution during mixing. To understand this balance, beam bending tests were performed using the same fibre type with different lengths but identical dosage. The results were analysed together with the real fibre distribution and wall-effect near the formwork, allowing the identification of an optimal fibre length that maximizes the post-cracking performance of the concrete.
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Why is it important?
The performance of fibre-reinforced concrete does not depend only on the fibre dosage, but also strongly on the length of the fibres. Longer fibres can provide better anchorage and higher energy absorption during crack opening, which improves the ductility and toughness of the material. However, excessively long fibres may reduce workability, worsen fibre distribution, and lead to fibre-ball formation during mixing. Understanding the relationship between fibre length, distribution, and structural performance helps engineers identify the optimal fibre geometry. This allows fibre-reinforced concrete to achieve better mechanical performance and more reliable behaviour without unnecessarily increasing fibre content.
Perspectives
The results highlight that the geometry of fibres is a key parameter in the performance of fibre-reinforced concrete. Future research could further investigate the interaction between fibre length, fibre orientation, and fibre distribution, which together determine the real efficiency of the fibres in the cracked section. Improved analytical and numerical models that incorporate these parameters could support the optimization of fibre design and dosage for different structural applications. This would help manufacturers and engineers select fibre geometries that provide the best balance between mechanical performance, workability of the fresh concrete, and structural efficiency.
Dr Karoly Peter Juhasz
JKP Static Ltd
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The effect of the length of macro synthetic fibres on their performance in concrete, IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering, September 2017, Institute of Physics Publishing,
DOI: 10.1088/1757-899x/246/1/012027.
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