CRACK CONTROL AND POST-CRACKING BEHAVIOUR OF STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE: A STATE-OF-THE-ART REVIEW

Abstract

Steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) has emerged as a significant advancement in concrete technology, addressing the inherent brittleness and low tensile capacity of conventional concrete. This review synthesizes current knowledge on crack control mechanisms and post-cracking behavior of SFRC, examining experimental and analytical methodologies employed to characterize these critical performance aspects. The addition of steel fibers fundamentally alters concrete's material response, transitioning from brittle failure to ductile behavior with distributed cracking patterns. Key findings indicate that fiber content, aspect ratio, orientation, and fiber-matrix interaction directly influence post-cracking tensile stress, residual strength, and crack width development. Standardized testing approaches, including bending tests and direct tensile tests combined with inverse analysis, provide reliable characterization of constitutive tensile laws. This review identifies gaps in understanding long-term post-cracking performance, fiber orientation variability effects, and optimal design integration of SFRC for mixed reinforcement systems.