Three dimensional simulations of FRC beams and panels with explicit definition of fibres-concrete interaction

High performance concrete (HPC) is a quite novel material which has been rapidly developed in the last few decades. It exhibits superior mechanical properties and durability comparing to normal concrete. HPC can achieve also superior tensile performance if strong fibres (steel or carbon) are implemented in the matrix. Thus, there exist the unabated interest in studying how the addition of different types of fibres modifies the behaviour of HPC. Nowadays, a standard numerical approaches to model the behaviour of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) are carried out by means of the smeared or discrete crack modelling of homogenous media with appropriately changed stress-strain relationships. The objective of this paper is to develop a new and efficient mesoscale modelling approach for steel fibre reinforced high-performance concrete. The main idea of presented approach is to assume the fully 3D modelling with taking into account explicitly the distribution and orientation of the steel fibres. As a benchmark, results obtained from experimental campaign on beams and panels made from high-performance concrete with steel fibres of different sizes and dosages were taken. Results of numerical simulations were directly compared with experimental outcomes in order to validate and calibrate FE-model and to introduce the efficient numerical modelling tool. • The new material design of low-carbon high performance concrete with steel fibres for wave energy converter floater was done. • 3D analysis for structural members with explicitly modelled fibres to investigate the behaviour of FRHPC was introduced. • FRHPC beams and panels were experimentally and numerically investigated. • Results of numerical calculation were discussed and verified based on experimental results. • Ability to simulate the real composite characteristics in particular the influence of the number of fibres was proven.