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Modulus Elasticity Poisson Ratio FRC Colombia UPV PDF
Modulus Elasticity Poisson Ratio FRC Colombia UPV PDF
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b
Research assistant, Structures and Earthquakes Research Group, Nueva Granada Military University, UMNG, Bogotá,
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c
Associate professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Colombia,
jmlizarazom@unal.edu.co
Abstract
Modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio are the main mechanical properties of concrete for assessing the
flexural and shear stiffness of concrete elements. Although steel fibers are beginning to be accepted in modern
building codes, equations for estimating the elasticity modulus and Poisson’s ratio of Fiber Reinforced Concrete
(FRC) are not provided in such building codes. Even though the direct measurement of the modulus of elasticity
and the Poisson’s ratio is adequately established, the use of non-destructive methods such the Ultrasonic Pulse
Velocity (UPV) test offers an economical and easy alternative that must be explored. The aim of this paper is
to propose empirical relationships for estimating the dynamic modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio of
concrete reinforced with steel, synthetic and hybrid fibers, using results measured during the UPV tests. The
research is also intended to assess results of models reported in a literature review, to evaluate the effect of test
setup (direct, semi-direct and direct), and to establish a relationship between the dynamic modulus of elasticity
of FRC and the characteristics of steel, polypropylene/polyethylene and hybrid fibers. The experimental
program included dynamic non-destructive tests and static destructive tests of 29 concrete specimens. The
variables included in the experimental program were the fiber type (steel, synthetic and hybrid), the fiber
1
Corresponding author. Tel.: +57 1 6500000 Ext. 1705; fax: + 57 1 6370557. Cra. 11 No. 101-80, E-mail:
wjcarrillo@gmail.com
content and the ultrasonic pulse velocity setup (direct and semi-direct). The length, diameter and aspect ratio
of fibers were 50 mm, 1.05 mm and 48 for the steel fibers, and 50 mm, 0.68 mm and 74 for the
polypropylene/polyethylene synthetic fibers. Fiber volume fractions in the concrete varied between 0.17% and
0.93%. The study also compared the results obtained in the static tests with the dynamic results, in order to
Keywords: fiber reinforced concrete; modulus of elasticity; Poisson’s ratio; non-destructive test; ultrasonic
1. Introduction
Flexural and shear stiffness should be computed for assessing not only the lateral displacements but also the
deflections of concrete elements. Steel fibers provide great advantages in the field of high-rise concrete
buildings and long span concrete bridges subjected to earthquake demands. Modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s
ratio are the main mechanical properties of concrete for assessing the flexural and shear stiffness of concrete
structures. Story drifts at service limit state and vertical deflections depend directly on the elastic stiffness of
the concrete elements. Most building codes specifies empirical equations for estimating modulus of elasticity
of plain concrete (without fibers) and assume that Poisson’s ratio is equal to 0.20. Kumar et al. [1] stated that
fibers are added to concrete to improve toughness, ductility and residual strength at the material level; and yield
capacity, post-cracking capacity, energy absorption, rotational capacity and yield strength at the structural level.
Nowadays, steel fibers comprise several applications in the construction industry such as in high or ultra-high-
performance concrete structures [2]. Parra-Montesinos [3] argued that high performance fiber reinforced
concrete is suitable to be used in structural members where an adequate seismic behavior is required. Two of
the European code developments of fiber reinforced concrete include the RILEM TC 162-TDF [4] and the FIB
Model Code 2010 [5]. Although ACI in America does not have a particular code for fiber concrete design, there
are great advances developed by the ACI 544 committee; for instance, ACI 544.4R [6] includes design
considerations for flexure and shear. The ACI-318 American Building Code [7] and the NSR-10 Colombian
Code for Earthquake-resistant Construction [8] accept the use of this type of reinforcement to replace the
minimum shear reinforcement of concrete beams. However, Correal et al. [9] and Carrillo et al. [10] argued
that the use of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) in Colombia is essentially limited to industrial floors and
tunnel linings.
Although steel fibers are beginning to be accepted in modern building codes, especially for contributing
to the shear and flexural strength of concrete beams, equations for estimating the elasticity modulus and
Poisson’s ratio of FRC are not provided in such building codes. Considering that the elastic parameters data of
FRC is fundamental for structural design, an in-deep knowledge about their measurement methods is required.
Destructive and non-destructive tests are commonly used for assessing the dynamic and static elastic properties
of concrete. Non-destructive tests are low-cost experiments where the evaluated elements are not damaged and,
therefore, tests can be performed repeatedly. Non-destructive tests are mainly used to assess the uniformity of
the material in a structure, the modulus of elasticity and strength of concrete, the thickness of a concrete layer,
the defects of structural systems, and the evolution over time of properties such as curing and hardening of
concrete. Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test is widely used to evaluate concrete structures due to its
simplicity, versatility and repeatability. Hassan and Jones [11] pointed out that the UPV test is the most reliable,
easy and portable non-destructive method that can be used for assessing elastic properties of materials. The
UPV method aids at detecting not only discontinuities in deep elements, but also extremely small
discontinuities due to the high sensitivity of the test. Additionally, the test can be performed having access to
only one of the surfaces of the element. The accuracy of the method is greater than that of other non-destructive
tests, since it allows to determine the position, size, orientation, shape and nature of the discontinuities.
According to Blitz and Simpson [12], the test equipment for the ultrasonic pulse velocity test must generate a
pulse that can be transmitted to concrete by means of a transmission and a reception transducer, thus turning
mechanical energy into new impulses of the same frequency. These emitter and receiver transducers can
configured using three setups: direct, semi-direct and indirect [13]. The direct method is one of the most
satisfactory method, since the maximum energy of the pulse is sent and received. The semi-direct method is
satisfactory, but its configuration must be performed with greater caution in order to avoid losing the signal.
The indirect method turns out to be the least satisfactory since the signal is relatively low [13].
The aim of this paper is to propose empirical relationships for estimating the dynamic modulus of elasticity
and Poisson's ratio of concrete reinforced with steel, synthetic and hybrid fibers, using results measured during
the UPV tests. This research is also intended to assess results of some models reported in a literature review,
to evaluate the effect of test setup (direct, semi-direct and direct), and establish a relationship between the
dynamic modulus of elasticity of FRC and the characteristics of steel, polypropylene/polyethylene and hybrid
fibers. The experimental study shown in this paper includes dynamic non-destructive tests and static destructive
tests. The dynamic properties were analyzed based on variables such as fiber type, fiber content and test setup.
The length, diameter and aspect ratio of fibers were 50 mm, 1.05 mm and 48 for the steel fibers, and 50 mm,
0.68 mm and 74 for the polypropylene/polyethylene synthetic fibers. Fiber volume fractions in the concrete
varied between 0.17% and 0.93%. The non-destructive dynamic tests used the ultrasonic pulse velocity and
were performed on 15 prismatic specimens (beam type) of height, width and length of 150, 150 and 300 mm,
respectively. The static destructive tests comprised compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and Poisson's
ratio, and were performed on the 15 prismatic specimens (beam type) that were previously used in the non-
destructive tests, and on 12 cylindrical specimens of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height. In the case of
dynamic tests, two test setups were used; direct and semi-direct. The recorded pulse rates allowed calculating
the dynamic values of the modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio. The study also compared the results
obtained in the static tests with the dynamic results, in order to identify the differences between static and
dynamic behavior. The paper is organized as follows: The next section discusses the background regarding
concrete properties estimated with results from UPV method. Then, variables, testing matrix and tests setup of
the experimental study is described. Finally, the results obtained from the destructive and non-destructive
method are discussed and compared with results reported in the literature review. Equations to estimate the
dynamic modulus of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio of FRC using data measured from UPV tests are
Velocity of ultrasonic pulses depends on the elastic properties and density of the tested material [13]. These
pulses are generated by means of vibratory excitations having longitudinal or compressive waveforms,
transverse or shear waves, and surface waves such as Rayleigh and Lamb waves. Each of these waves is
characterized by its direction, velocity and input energy. For instance, compressive waves depend on the elastic
properties and usually travel in homogeneous, isotropic and elastic medium. It is also possible to apply
compressive waves to heterogeneous medium such as concrete, which move very fast and help to get useful
A literature review evidenced measured data and equations proposed in several studies on destructive
and non-destructive tests on plain and Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) [14, 15, 16, 17, 11, 18]. Benaicha et
al. [14] conducted a research to assess the curing time of FRC by means of non-destructive tests. These authors
proposed a relationship between compressive strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic
pulse velocity. These authors argued that the addition of fibers does not improve the compression behavior of
the specimens, and their addition in excess causes disorder in the matrix promoting a distributed crack
propagation. Benaicha et al. [14] argued that the flexural strength increases with the fiber content added to
concrete. In the case of ultrasonic pulse velocity tests, Benaicha et al. stated also that the velocity recorded in
FRC is faster than that of plain concrete, because fibers allow the wave to travel faster through the specimen.
These authors also observed that the velocity depends on the modulus of elasticity because the higher the
stiffness, the higher the velocity. In this way, Benaicha et al. [14] proposed Eq. (1), shown in Table 1, to
Tsioulou et al. [15] studied concrete reinforced with high-strength steel fibers using tensile and
compression static tests, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) dynamic tests, and the non-destructive rebound
hammer tests. These authors propose calculating the compressive strength of plain concrete and concrete
reinforced using a fiber volume content (Vf) of 1% and 3%, by means of Eqs. (2), (4) and (6), respectively (see
Table 1). Additionally, Tsioulou et al. proposed to compute the static modulus of elasticity (E) of the plain
concrete and concrete having a volume fraction of fibers (Vf) equal to 1% and 3%, by means of Eqs. (3), (5)
and (7), respectively (see Table 1). These authors concluded that although steel fibers improve the compressive
strength of concrete by approximately 5%, fibers do not affect the modulus of elasticity of concrete.
Table 1. Equations available in the literature review
Benaicha et al.
1.016 10 1.156 3210 N/A (1)
(2015)
.
′ 0.06007 (2)
0%
.
0.1143 (3)
Tsioulou et al. ′ 0.2245 .
(4)
(2017) 1%
0.0151 35.271 (5)
.
′ 0.534 (6)
.
3%
0.5518 (7)
Vp is the direct velocity in m/s, f’c is the compressive strength in MPa, and E is the modulus of elasticity in MPa.
Qixian and Bungey [16] conducted an experimental study to assess the dynamic modulus of elasticity
and the dynamic Poisson’s ratio of concrete. These authors observed that the values of the dynamic modulus
of elasticity obtained by means of the surface velocity of the Rayleigh wave (Vr) varied between 21 and 40
GPa, and the values of the Poisson's ratio (d) varied between 0.21 and 0.28. Qixian and Bungey [16] also
observed that values of the elasticity modulus obtained through the shear waves varied between 25 to 37 GPa
while the Poisson’s ratio varied between 0.24 to 0.28. In this way, these authors argued that velocity of the
primary waves (Vp) and the Rayleigh waves (Vr) can be used to obtain the dynamic modulus of elasticity and
the dynamic Poisson’s ratio, since the values recorded using the two setup are relatively close.
Petro and Kim [17] conducted a research to detect the delamination of two concrete slabs by using
results from the ultrasonic pulse velocity test. The experimental study included the direct and indirect pulse
transmission setups applied to two slabs with different thickness. The transit time in the direct transmission test
for the 150 mm slab was, on average, 34.1 s in the control area, while in the delamination zone, the maximum
transmission time value occurred in the center and it did not vary significantly. The average time in the control
area of the 300 mm slab was 65.2 s, which was twice the value recorded in the 150 mm slab. However, a
similar behavior was observed in the two slabs, since the maximum travel time for the two slabs was recorded
in the delamination zone. The transmission times obtained in the study served as a basis for calculating the P
wave velocities and allowed to find Young's dynamic modulus of 39 GPa and a Poisson's ratio of 0.24 for the
two types of slabs. Petro and Kim [17] also carried out static compression tests in two cylinders following the
ASTM C-469 [19] standard. Results showed that the static Young's modulus was, on average, 41 GPa, which
showed that there were no significant differences compared to Young's modulus dynamic values.
Hassan and Jones [11] determined that the dynamic modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio from the
ultrasonic pulse velocity tests were 48 GPa and 0.24, respectively. Using resonance tests, these authors also
determined that the average dynamic elasticity modulus was 51 GPa. In terms of Poisson's ratio, the values
were very close to those of plain concrete, which varied between 0.18 to 0.20. Finally, these authors observed
that pulse velocities measured in FRC were higher than that measured in plain concrete.
Lastly, Katzer and Kobaka [18] compared the experimental performance of concrete reinforced with
steel fibers having volume fractions varying between 0% and 2.8%. These authors observed that the dynamic
modulus of elasticity was 39.3 GPa for the plain concrete, and 33 GPa for the concrete having 2.8% of fibers.
Based on trends of measured results, Katzer and Kobaka [18] proposed Eq. (8) to calculate the dynamic
modulus of elasticity in GPa, in terms of the volume content in percentage (Vf) of steel fiber. These authors
finally concluded that the dynamic modulus of fiber reinforced concrete decreases approximately 25%
A literature review revealed there is a large amount of data on pulse velocity models to determine the
dynamic elastic mechanical properties of plain concrete. However, the research reported in this paper is focused
polypropylene/polyethylene and hybrid fibers. Models and data of dynamic properties of fiber reinforced
concrete are not abundant in the literature and corresponds to the gap in the knowledge that this research wants
to overcome.
3. Experimental study
The experimental study carried out in this research included destructive and non-destructive tests to determine
the compressive strength, the modulus of elasticity and the Poisson's ratio of concrete. The non-destructive tests
The variables included in this research were the fiber type (steel, synthetic and hybrid), the fiber content and
the ultrasonic pulse velocity setup (direct and semi-direct). Twenty-nine concrete specimens were built: 16
prismatic and 13 cylindrical specimens. From the 29 specimens, 2 were of plain concrete (PC), 12 of Steel
5 of Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (HFRC). Table 2 shows the real fiber volume content (Vf), which was
calculated by using Eq. (9). The real dosage (Df-real) was obtained through the fiber weight measured in three
cylindrical specimens measuring 15×30 cm for each fiber type and content.
(9)
Dynamic non-destructive tests using the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) method and the static
destructive tests were performed to determine the dynamic and static values of the modulus of elasticity and
Poisson's ratio. The matrix of specimens intended for dynamic non-destructive tests and static destructive tests
is shown in Table 2.
FRC
Plain
concrete Steel, S Polypropylene/Polyethylene, P Hybrid
Parameter
RL-45/50-BN
** Tuf Strand, P S+P S+P S+P
hooked-end, S
Length (mm) ** 50 50 ** ** **
Diameter (mm) ** 1.05 0.68 ** ** **
Aspect ratio ** 48 74 ** ** **
Nominal dosage
0 15 30 60 3 5 9 15+0.30 30+0.60 60+1.20
(kg/m3)
Real dosage (kg/m3) 0 13.5 31.5 65.2 3.9 5.1 9.0 13.73+0.25 27.72+0.54 63.52+1.09
The experimental study included four types of concrete mixtures. The nominal compressive strength of concrete
was 21 MPa and the nominal maximum aggregate size was 38.1 mm. The difference among three of the four
mixtures was the fiber type added (steel, polypropylene/polyethylene and hybrid, see Table 2), while the fourth
type of mixture did not contain any type of fiber (plain concrete). With the four types of mixtures, 16 prismatic
specimens (beam type) of 150150300 mm and 13 cylindrical specimens of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm
height were cast. A specific labeling system for the specimens was planned to simplify the data identification
and the analysis of results. By taking SFRCD3 as an example, the first part determines the type of mixture
HFRC = Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Concrete, PC = Plain Concrete), the second part defines the type of test
method (D = dynamic non-destructive using Direct setup, SD = dynamic non-destructive using Semi-Direct
setup; in case neither "D" nor "SD" is identified, it corresponds to a destructive static test). Finally, the third
part is the number that identifies the nominal fiber content in kg/m3.
According to ASTM C-597 [22], available test equipment limits path lengths to approximately 50-mm
minimum and 15-m maximum, depending, in part, upon the frequency and intensity of the generated signal.
The upper limit of the path length depends mainly on surface conditions and on the concrete characteristics of
the specimen. For the shorter path lengths where loss of signal is not the governing factor, ASTM C-597 [22]
recommends to use resonant frequencies of 50 kHz or higher to achieve more accurate transit-time
measurements and hence greater sensitivity. The non-destructive UPV tests were carried out using a Pundit PL-
200 equipment, which features an emitter transducer and a receiver transducer with frequency of 54 kHz.
Two setups of the UPV test were used in this study; direct and semi-direct setup, which are standardized
by the BS-1881 standard [20]. Fig. 1a shows the setup of the direct method, in which the transducer emitter
was located in the middle of the face of the specimen having 300 mm and the transducer receiver in the middle
of the opposite face, in such a way that the transducers were 150 mm apart from each other. Fig. 1b shows the
setup of the semi-direct method, where one of the transducers was located on the face having 300 mm, at 50
mm from one of the sides having 150 mm, and the other transducer is located in the middle of the other adjacent
face having 300 mm, with a diagonal spacing between transducers of 125 mm. The distances indicated were
chosen to fulfill recommendations provided by ASTM C-597 [22] and to facilitate the use of the method in
150 mm
50 mm
300 mm
a) b)
Figure 1. Types of ultrasonic pulse velocity measurement: a) direct-transmission method, b) semi-direct transmission
method.
This way, the P-wave velocity (Vp, Vps) and the S-wave velocity (Vs, Vss) were obtained from the direct
and semi-direct methods. The P-wave velocity was registered by the Pundit PL-200 equipment, while the S-
wave velocity was obtained from the PL-Link software included in the Pundit PL-200 equipment. This software
also records the signal from the emitter to the receiver transducer, and then allowing to compute the P, S and
R wave velocities at any point of the recorded signal. Finally, four values of the P and S waves pulse velocity
were recorded in the test of each specimen. The mean value of P- and S-waves was computed from four
different values recorded. After running the testing, the measured values of the (P) primary wave velocities by
the direct (Vp) and semi-direct (Vps) method, and the (S) secondary wave velocities by the direct (Vs) and semi-
direct (Vss) method, allowed estimating the dynamic Poisson ratio by means of Eq. (10) pointed out by
Villaverde [21].
(10)
where the velocities Vp, Vps, Vs and Vss are expressed in m/s. Then, the value of the dynamic Poisson's ratio
allowed to estimate the dynamic modulus of elasticity through Eq. (11) proposed by ASTM C-597 [22], where
Ed is the dynamic modulus of elasticity, is the density of the material, vd is the dynamic Poisson’s ratio, and
Vp is the velocity at which the wave propagates. It is worth to mention that, due to the ultrasonic pulse velocity
is very sensitive to environmental factors such as noise or vibrations, it was avoided performing the test when
handling heavy machinery, or when performing a test with high noise or vibration impact.
(Pa) (11)
The destructive tests for assessing the compressive strength of concrete cylinders were carried out
based on the procedure indicated in ASTM C-39 [23]. As shown in Table 2, compressive strength tests were
performed on 12 cylindrical specimens and 15 prismatic specimens. The final damage stage of the prismatic
and cylindrical specimens is shown in Figs. 2a and 2b, respectively. Tests of the modulus of elasticity and
Poisson's ratio were based on the procedure reported by ASTM C-469 [19] (see Fig. 2c).
a) b) c)
Figure 2. Destructive tests: a) compressive strength of cylindrical specimen, b) compressive strength of prismatic
This section presents the analysis of the results obtained from the non-destructive method. Comparison between
results from non-destructive and destructive tests is also presented and discussed. Results measured in this
research are compared with results reported in the literature review. Finally, equations are proposed to estimate
the dynamic modulus of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio of fiber reinforced concrete using data
coefficient of variation (CV) and the correlation coefficient (r). Here, the variation of the data was defined in
terms of the CV value; for example, slight variation was defined for CV values lower than 10%, moderate
variation for CV values between 10% and 35%, and high variation for CV values higher than 35%. Data and
regression trends were assessed from the correlation coefficient (r); for example, weak correlation for r values
lower than 0.5, moderate correlation for r between 0.5 and 0.8, and strong correlation for r between 0.8 and 1.
Tables 3 and 4 show the statistical results of the velocities and densities recorded. In the tables, Vp and Vs are
the P- and S-waves velocities, respectively, measured during direct method; and Vps and Vss are the P- and S-
waves velocities, respectively, measured during the semi-direct method. The Ed parameter is the dynamic
modulus of elasticity and ʋd is the dynamic Poisson's ratio related to the direct method. On the other hand, Eds
and ʋds are the dynamic modulus of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson’s ratio, respectively, related to the semi-
direct method. The values of the modulus of elasticity were normalized with the square root of the concrete's
compressive strength (f’c), in order to compare the results with data published in the literature review. The f’c
value used in for normalizing is the average of the results obtained from compressive strength static tests
Malhotra and Carino [13] argued that the direct setup of UPV test guarantees the transmission of the
maximum pulse energy and, therefore, Vp and Vs characterize 100% of the emitted wave signal. This behavior
is observed in the data presented in Tables 3 and 4, since the velocities obtained by means of the direct setup
are greater than those obtained by the semi-direct setup, for both Vp and Vs. As shown in Table 4, an exception
of this trend was observed for the plain concrete (PC), which reached the maximum velocity by the semi-direct
method. Although, from a theoretical point of view, the transmission of the maximum energy during the semi-
direct method is not guaranteed, results obtained in this study from this setup showed a high proportion of the
velocities obtained from the direct setup. In the case of Vps, the average value was 3535 m/s, which is equivalent
to 82% of the maximum velocity reached by the P-wave (Vp). Likewise, the average value of Vss was 2210 m/s,
which is equivalent to 80% of the maximum velocity reached by the S-wave (Vs).
Regarding both the direct and semi-direct setups, Tables 3 and 4 also show that the S-wave velocity is
lower than the P-wave velocity. Therefore, the data measured concur with the theoretical trends: for example,
Elnashai and Di Sarno [24] state that S-waves travel at a velocity that varies between 50% to 60% of the P-
wave velocity. Results of this study showed that, in the case of the direct setup, the mean value of the S-wave
velocity (Vs) was 2594 m/s, which is equivalent to 65% of the mean value of the P-wave velocity. In the case
of the semi-direct setup, the mean value of Vss was equivalent to 61% of the mean value of the P-wave velocity.
Modulus of elasticity and dynamic Poisson's ratio were calculated from Eqs. (11) and (10),
respectively, using the measured data of Vp, Vps, Vs and Vss. Tables 3 and 4 show that the highest values of the
dynamic modulus of elasticity are associated to concrete reinforced with the lowest contents of
polypropylene/polyethylene (0.42%) and steel (0.17%) fibers. Tables 3 and 4 also show that the lowest values
are associated to the highest contents of steel (0.83%), synthetic (0.98%) and hybrid (0.93%) fibers. This trend
evidences that the amount of fibers directly affects the dynamic modulus of elasticity, which causes the modulus
Tables 3 and 4 also show that the normalized values of the modulus of elasticity from the direct setup
are greater than those associated with the semi-direct setup; for example, the Ed/f’c values vary between 5097
and 6238 in MPa, while the Eds/f’c values vary between 3773 and 5851 in MPa. Table 3 shows that the
normalized values of modulus of elasticity of plain concrete from the direct setup decreases between 6% and
18% when steel, synthetic and hybrid fibers are added to the mixture. According to Katzer and Kobaka [18],
the dynamic modulus of elasticity of the plain concrete decreases 25%, on average, when 2.8% content of steel
fibers are used. The decrease of modulus of elasticity observed by Katzer and Kobaka [18] is higher than the
decrease recorded in this study (see Table 3), because the maximum fiber content used by these authors (2.8%)
was significantly higher than that used in this study (0.83%). On the other hand, Tables 3 and 4 show that the
coefficient of variation of the dynamic modulus of elasticity from the direct and semi-direct setups was lower
than 6% for the PC and for the FRC. Therefore, this low variation aids to demonstrate that the direct and semi-
direct setups are reliable methods to obtain the dynamic modulus of elasticity of the concrete studied herein.
In terms of the dynamic Poisson's ratio, Tables 3 and 4 show that fiber added to the mixture has a
greater effect on the Poisson's ratio than on the dynamic modulus of elasticity; for example, the differences in
Poisson's ratio between concretes vary between 7% and 15% for the direct setup, and between 0% and 30% for
the semi-direct setup. Table 3 shows that the dynamic Poisson's ratio of the plain concrete obtained from the
direct setup decreased, on average, by 13% when steel fibers were used, 16% with synthetic fibers, and 20%
with hybrid fibers. Table 4 shows that the dynamic Poisson's ratio of the plain concrete obtained from the semi-
direct setup decreased, on average, by 32% when adding steel fibers, 22% with synthetic fibers and 28% with
hybrid fiber. These lower percentages showed that fiber addition causes a decrease in the dynamic Poisson's
ratio of concrete for all types of fiber and for all volume contents. On the other hand, Tables 3 and 4 show that
the variation of data of the dynamic Poisson’s ratio is, in general, moderate (CV between 0.9 and 11%), which
Figs. 3a and 3b show the relationship between both the dynamic modulus of elasticity and the dynamic
Poisson's ratio from the direct and semi-direct setups, and of the parameter Vf(lf/df) (fiber volume content in %
× fiber aspect ratio). From a dimensional analysis and several iterations with the measured data, this parameter
was selected for observing distinctly the trends of the data measured. The porosity of the concrete is triggered
by the air content added to the concrete mixture during mixing of fibers; for instance, the higher fiber volume
content, the higher air content in the mixture. Therefore, the effect of the porosity on the ultrasonic pulse
velocity is also considered using the parameter Vf(lf/df). This parameter is also commonly used to assess the
relationship of the properties of fiber-reinforced concrete. As stated in section 3.1, the results of concrete
reinforced with steel, synthetic and hybrid fibers from the direct setup are shown in Fig. 3 using the labels
SFRCD, PFRCD and HFRC, respectively; and the results from the semi-direct setup are indicated using the
6000 0.2
r=0.99
r=0.99
d
r=0.98 r=0.99
r=0.89
4500 0.1 r=0.75
r=0.99 r=0.98
r=0.62
r=0.92
3000 0
0 25 50 75 0 25 50 75
(a) ⁄ (b) ⁄
Figure 3. Relationship of the mechanical properties with the fiber parameters: a) dynamic modulus of elasticity, b)
Figs. 3a and 3b showed that the modulus of elasticity and the Poisson's ratio obtained from the direct and
semi-direct setups for all the mixtures tend to decrease with the increment of Vf(lf/df). Fig. 3a shows that the
dynamic modulus of elasticity obtained from the direct setup is higher than that obtained from the semi-direct
setup. In contrast, it is observed in Fig. 3b that the dynamic Poisson ratio obtained from the direct setup is lower
than that obtained from the semi-direct setup. Figs. 3a and 3b also show that the linear regression analysis
correlate suitably the measured data of the modulus of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio with Vf(lf/df),
since the correlation coefficients vary between 0.62 and 0.99, approximately. Figs. 3a and 3b also show that
the highest values of the modulus of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio are associated with synthetic
fiber-reinforced concrete.
A relationship between Vf(lf/df) and the Ed/f’c from the direct and semi-direct setups was observed for all
mixes; the higher the lf/df and Vf values, the lower the Ed/f’c. This observation was in agreement with the results
reported by Yap et al. [25]. The increase in the aspect ratio and volume fraction produces a reduction in both
the dynamic modulus of elasticity to compressive strength ratio and the dynamic Poisson's ratio. As discussed
earlier, it is hypothesized here that dynamic modulus of elasticity tends to decrease when a higher amount of
fibers is used because the porosity could increase. A lower value of the Poisson's ratio reflects the ability of
fibers to confine the concrete matrix and reduce the lateral deformations of the specimen.
Table 5 shows the values of (peak) compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio measured
during destructive static tests. These tests were carried out to compare the values obtained with the data on the
modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio associated with dynamic non-destructive tests.
The results of compressive strength of the cylindrical specimens shown in Table 5 reflect that the fiber
and the volume content have a minor effect on the peak concrete compressive strength. For instance, the
compressive strength of plain concrete (41.7 MPa) fits within the range of the results obtained for the fiber-
reinforced concrete (38.3 and 42.8 MPa). For instance, the maximum difference between the peak compressive
strength of the four types of mixture and the different volume contents was 11%.
Results shown in Table 5 allow concluding that fiber added to concrete does not significantly affect
the static modulus of elasticity, since the difference between the value of the static modulus of elasticity of the
plain concrete and that of concrete with different types and content of fibers was lower than 20% (5410/26100).
As already mentioned in section 4.1, the difference between the dynamic modulus of elasticity of plain concrete,
from the direct setup and that of the fiber-reinforced concrete varied between 8% and 15%. As a result, it is
evident that the value of the modulus of elasticity estimated by the direct setup is neither affected considerably
by the fiber added to the mixture. Instead, the results obtained by the semi-direct setup showed that fiber
addition does affect the dynamic modulus of elasticity, since a 30% average difference was registered. On the
other hand, results of the study reported herein demonstrated that the static modulus elasticity of the concrete
with the highest fiber volume contents (0.83% of steel fiber and 0.98% of synthetic fiber), is similar to that of
the plain concrete; for example, the value of the static modulus of elasticity of the CRFS9 was only 4%
(0.74/127.8) lower than that of the plain concrete. Regarding the static and dynamic Poisson’s ratio, it was
observed that fibers do affect the Poisson's ratio, since there are differences as high as 44% between the plain
Beam
Cylinder 15×30 cm
15×15×30cm
Description f'c (MPa) E/f’c (MPa) v f'c (MPa)
X CV (%) X CV (%) X CV (%) X CV (%)
CS 41.7 § 4042 § 0.16* § 40.2 §
CRFA15 41.9 3.0% 4457 1.1 0.20 15.2 30.1 3.7
CRFA30 40.6 0.8% 4260 1.3 0.18 24.8 30.6 5.3
CRFA60 41.5 1.0% 4299 4.0 0.20 18.2 26.5 1.4
CRFS3 41.2 2.1% 4565 6.8 0.18 13.0 28.7 1.0
CRFS5 37.1 § 3014* § 0.30* § 27.1 7.4
CRFS9 38.3 14.4% 4018 12.1 0.17 19.3 33.7 1.6
CRFH15 - - - - - - 25.8 §
CRFH30 42.8 5.9% 4816 5.8 0.19 10.7 31.7 §
CRFH60 - - - - - - 29.8 §
- tests for those concretes were not performed.
* data not considered because it was outside the range of values measured in the specimens.
§ CV is not computed because only one specimen was tested.
Results shown in Tables 3 and 4, and in Figs. 3a and 3b revealed that the fiber type does not
significantly affect the values of the dynamic modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio. For example, the
maximum difference of the normalized value of the dynamic modulus of elasticity obtained from the direct
setup (Ed/f’c) for concrete reinforced with the lowest steel and synthetic fiber volume content (0.17 and 0.42%)
was 5%. Likewise, the maximum difference among the normalized modulus of elasticity of concrete reinforced
with contents of 0.40%, 0.56% and 0.41% of steel, synthetic and hybrid fiber, respectively, was 3%. In the case
of the highest volume fractions, that is, 0.83% of steel fiber, 0.98% of synthetic fiber and 0.93% of hybrid fiber,
a maximum difference of 7% was registered. On the other hand, the maximum differences among the
normalized modulus of elasticity estimated from the semi-direct setup varied between 2% and 10%, for the
different fiber types and volume fractions. With respect to the Poisson's ratio estimated from the direct setup,
the maximum difference between the values of concrete reinforced with 0.42% of synthetic fibers and that
reinforced with 0.20% of hybrid fibers was 14%. Finally, regarding the dynamic Poisson’s ratio estimated from
the semi-direct setup, the average difference between the three types of fibers was 14%. In this way, Figs. 4a
and 4b show a comparison between the modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio from the static destructive
tests (E and v) with those from the dynamic tests using the direct and semi-direct setups (Ed, Eds, vd and vds).
6500 0.3
Ed vd
Eds vds
r=0.66 E vd
3900√f'c
r=0.20 v=0.2(NSR-10)
4700√f'c
E / f'c (MPa)
5500 0.2
r=0.61
3500 0
0 25 50 75 0 25 50 75
(a) ⁄ (b) ⁄
Figure 4. Comparison of the results of static and dynamic tests: a) modulus of elasticity, b) Poisson’s ratio.
Fig. 4a shows two horizontal lines that symbolizes the equations proposed by NSR-10 to calculate the
modulus of elasticity of normal density plain concrete (without fibers). In the main body of NSR-10 it is
proposed to calculate the modulus of elasticity of plain concrete using the equation 4700f’c, which is the same
equation proposed by the ACI-318 American Building Code [7]. However, in the commentary section of the
NSR-10 Colombian Building Code [8], the equation 3900f’c is proposed when the type of coarse aggregate
and the concrete density is unknown. Fig. 4b shows a horizontal line that symbolizes the value of the Poisson's
It is observed in Fig. 4 that a single trend was obtained for the values of modulus of elasticity and
Poisson's ratio associated with the three types of fibers (steel, synthetic and hybrid) and, therefore, trends are
presented for each type of setup (direct and semi-direct). Figs. 4a and 4b show that the normalized values of
the static and dynamic elasticity modules (E, Ed and Eds), as well as the dynamic Poisson's ratio (vd and vds) of
concrete with the three types of fibers (steel, synthetic and hybrid) tend to decrease linearly as a function of
Vf(lf/df).
Figs. 4a and 4b evidence that the trends of the normalized value of the dynamic modulus of elasticity and
the dynamic Poisson's ratio estimated by the semi-direct setup are similar to the trends of the static test results.
For example, the differences between the normalized value of the modulus of elasticity obtained from the static
tests and the dynamic modulus from the semi-direct setup varied between 3% and 12%. With respect to the
Poisson's ratio, the difference between the values of the static and dynamic tests from the semi-direct setup was
13%, on average. This 13% difference was obtained as the average of the differences between the static and
dynamic results of the concrete with the same characteristics. Based on the trends of the data in Figs. 4a and
4b, and the differences stated above, the normalized values of the modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio
obtained from the dynamic semi-direct setup are comparable to the results obtained from the static tests. Finally,
Fig. 4a shows that the normalized values of the modulus of elasticity obtained from the semi-direct setup and
those obtained from the static tests fit within the range of values prescribed by the NSR-10 (3900f’c and
4700f’c). In particular, the values recorded in the study reported herein are very similar to the 3900f’c value
proposed for the case the type of coarse aggregate and the concrete density is unknown, since the maximum
difference with the proposed value is 12%. Regarding the dynamic Poisson’s ratio obtained from the semi-
direct setup, Fig. 4b shows that this is also close to the Poisson's ratio proposed by the NSR-10, with a maximum
difference of 20%.
In this section, empirical models are proposed to estimate the dynamic modulus of elasticity and the dynamic
Poisson’s ratio of fiber reinforced concrete. Initially, predictive models available in the literature are assessed.
Fig. 5 shows the relationship between the normalized values of the dynamic modulus of elasticity (Edf’c) and
the direct pulse velocity (Vp) reported by Qixian and Bungey [16], Hassan and Jones [11], and Katzer and
Kobaka [18]. Results measured in the study reported herein are also included in the figure. Fig. 5 shows that
results measured in this study fit within the data trend reported in the literature review. The variations between
results shown in the figure are attributed to the differences values of the concrete compressive strength of the
concretes. For instance, compressive strength values in this study and in the studies reported by Qixian and
Bungey [16], Hassan and Jones [11], and Katzer and Kobaka [18] varied between 38 and 43 MPa, 25 and 54
7500
6500
MPa
5500 r = 0.49
/
Figure 5. Comparison between the results of the dynamic modulus of elasticity measured in this study with the results
The empirical models proposed in this research were obtained from the observed trends of the measured
data of the modulus of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio versus the parameter Vf(lf/df) (see Figs. 4a and
4b). An iterative linear regression analysis was carried out for deriving the empirical equations of this study.
Investigation of existing trends between residuals (prediction errors) and model parameters helped to improve
the forms of the equations. As stated in the previous section, the slight differences between the values of the
modulus of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio for the different types of fiber evidenced that it is
unpractical to propose an empirical model depending of the type of fiber. Therefore, based on the trends of the
measured results in Figs. 4a and 4b, Eqs. (12) and (13) are proposed here to estimate the dynamic modulus of
elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio from the direct setup of UPV test. According to these equations,
dynamic modulus of elasticity and dynamic Poisson's ratio from the direct setup for plain concrete are 6000f’c
and 0.15, respectively. It is observed in Figs. 4a and 4b that the correlation coefficients associated to Eqs. (12)
and (13) are equal to 0.66 and 0.79, respectively. The values of these coefficients demonstrate that the correlation
between the measured data of the dynamic modulus elasticity is moderate but suitable, because the r values
varied between 0.5 and 0.8. On the other hand, the correlation coefficient of the Poisson's ratio shows a strong
/
0.14 (13)
In addition, Eqs. (14) and (15) are proposed to estimate the dynamic modulus of elasticity and the
dynamic Poisson's ratio from the semi-direct setup of UPV tests. According to these equations, dynamic modulus
of elasticity and dynamic Poisson's ratio for plain concrete from the semi-direct setup are 4230f’c and 0.20,
respectively. As shown in Figs. 4a and 4b, these equations are associated with a correlation coefficient of 0.21.
This correlation coefficient demonstrates that the correlation between the measured data of the dynamic modulus
of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio is weak because the data is just slight dependent with the parameter
Vf(lf/df). Considering that the values of the modulus of elasticity and Poisson ratio from the semi-direct setup of
UPV dynamic tests were comparable to those from static tests (see Figs. 4a and 4b), Eqs. (14) and (15) may be
also used for estimating the values of the modulus of elasticity and Poisson ratio related to static destructive
tests.
/
0.21 (15)
5. Conclusions
In this paper, empirical equations have been developed to estimate the dynamic values of the modulus of
elasticity and the Poisson's ratio of concrete reinforced with steel, polypropylene/polyethylene and hybrid fiber
from the ultrasonic pulse velocities (UPV) test. Results of analytical models available in a literature review,
test observations, fundamentals of FRC behavior were also considered to define the functional form of the
model equations. The results of the study showed that it is essential to select the setup of dynamic test that
should be applied (direct or semi-direct), since the expected results depend on this setup. It is also necessary to
identify the wave types logged by the test equipment, because Vp, Vs or Vr velocities must be known for
determining the modulus of elasticity or the Poisson's ratio of fiber reinforced concrete. However, whenever
possible it is recommended to use the direct test setup, since this method guarantees the transmission of the
The measured results obtained showed that the type and the volume content of fibers affect the dynamic
values of the modulus of elasticity and the Poisson's ratio, since the differences between the dynamic modulus
of elasticity and the dynamic Poisson's ratio of concrete with different fiber types (steel,
polypropylene/polyethylene and hybrid) and volume contents were lower than 17%. Results also showed that
the direct setup of dynamic UPV tests can be used to determine the dynamic modulus of elasticity and dynamic
Poisson's ratio of plain concrete and concrete reinforced with steel, synthetic and hybrid fiber. This research
also showed similarities between the trends of the results of the dynamic test estimated by the semi-direct setup
and the results of the static test, and the differences between the results varied 13%, on average. These slight
differences demonstrate the similarity between the static and dynamic values of the modulus of elasticity and
the Poisson's ratio of fiber-reinforced concrete estimated by the semi-direct setup of UPV tests. In this way,
results of the study demonstrated that the static modulus of elasticity and the static Poisson's ratio measured
during destructive tests can be computed using the same equations obtained from the results measured during
the semi-direct setup of UPV tests. The results obtained in this study are limited to concrete with compressive
strength lower than 43 MPa, with or without fibers. For fiber reinforced concrete, the fibers can be hooked end
steel fibers, or polypropylene/polyethylene or hybrid fiber (steel and synthetic), the fiber volume content should
vary between 0.17% and 0.98%, and the aspect ratio of fiber must be less than 80. Data obtained through this
research can contribute effectively to the formulation and standardization of alternative methods to evaluate
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones at the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada
(UMNG, Colombia) for financing the research project IMP-ING-2130. The donation of concrete, steel fibers,
and synthetic fibers from Argos-Colombia (Diego Velandia), Bekaert-Colombia (Liliana Cardona), and Euclid-
Toxement-Colombia (Juan C. Acero), respectively, is greatly appreciated. The views expressed in this paper
are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflects the views of the sponsor.
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