Numerical Estimation of the Effective Mechanical Properties (EMP) of Steel AISI 4340 Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Bejaia, 06000 Bejaia, Algeria

2 Common Core of Science and Technology, Faculty of Technology, University of Batna 2, 05000 Batna, Algeria

3 Department of Civil Engineering, Mouloud Mammeri University, 15000, Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria

4 Laboratory of Construction Engineering and Architecture, University of Bejaia, 06000 Bejaia, Algeria

Abstract

This study aims to estimate the effective mechanical properties (EMP) of a composite material consisting of two phases: a concrete matrix and randomly distributed cylindrical fiber reinforcements. To determine the composite's effective mechanical properties, several key parameters are considered, including the fiber volume fraction, fiber geometry (expressed as the length-to-diameter ratio), and the void volume fraction. The voids are modeled as spherical inclusions, randomly dispersed within the matrix phase only, with strict non-intersection constraints, ensuring they do not overlap or touch the fibers. This configuration reflects realistic entrapped air porosity while preserving the integrity of the fiber-matrix interface. The effective elastic properties are estimated using a numerical homogenization procedure based on the finite element method (FEM) and the representative volume element (RVE) concept. Periodic boundary conditions (PBC) are applied to ensure representativeness, and a progressive mesh refinement strategy is employed, with a finer mesh around the inclusions, to balance accuracy and computational efficiency. The 3D fiber distributions are generated using a custom Python 3.9 script that enforces non-overlapping conditions between fibers, thereby preventing interpenetration during RVE construction.

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References

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Mechanics of Advanced Composite Structures
Volume 14, Issue 1 - Serial Number 29
In Progress
April 2027
Pages 151-163

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