Design-based approaches for fibre-reinforced concrete: An overview of ACI Committee 544 activities

The ACI Committee 544 on fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) has been involved in development and dissemination of technical information for nearly a half century. A key advantage in using FRC is the reduction in construction time compared to the traditional reinforcing bars or welded wire mesh. Application areas for FRC have extended to areas where high early strength and ductility are important and include pavement, shotcrete and structures such as bridge deck slabs, or rock slide stabilization. In these cases, the material properties must be measured using experimental test data obtained from an experimental program. Test results must be analysed in order to obtain effective stress strain responses that can be incorporated in analytical, or computer simulation. A list of examples including wall panels, hydraulic structures, airport pavements, and industrial floor overlays are described. To maintain integrity without collapse, such structural elements need to be designed with proper material models and analysis tools discussed.