Tensile stress-crack width relationship for steel fiber reinforced concrete under mode I fracture

This article presents the tensile stress – crack width (σ−w) relationship and fracture characteristics for steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) for Mode I fracture. A theoretical study for σ−w relationship was attempted by implementing a cracked hinge model and compared with the experimental results generated by the digital image correlation (DIC) technique. The theoretical study discusses the observed σ−w relationship through a multi-linear traction-separation law. The experimental data closely followed the predictions made by curve fitting using MATLAB. The steel fiber content influences strain softening, and the effect of steel fiber content is evident after peak load. The post-peak strain softening characteristics of both plain concrete (PC) and SFRC under Mode I fracture were discussed.