Experimental and numerical analysis of the flexural response of amorphous metallic fiber reinforced concrete

The goal of this study was to investigate the compressive and flexural behaviors of amorphous metallic fiber reinforced concrete (AM-FRC). Two water-to-cementitious material ratios (w/cm of 0.6 and 0.45) and three volume fractions of amorphous metallic fibers (v_f of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 %) were considered. To predict the pre- and post-cracking flexural behaviors of AM-FRC beams, sectional analyses were performed using two different material models. Test results indicated that a lower w/cm led to higher compressive strength, higher elastic modulus, and higher brittleness. The compressive strain capacity and post-peak ductility were improved by increasing fiber content. Almost linear increases in flexural strength and deflection capacity were obtained with increased fiber content, while a higher compressive strength (a lower w/cm) resulted in a higher flexural strength but did not significantly change the deflection capacity. The sectional analysis based on RILEM TC 162-TDF significantly overestimated the post-peak ductility of AM-FRC beams, whereas the sectional analysis incorporating the material models proposed by the authors exhibited good agreement with the test data.