Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65

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Construction and Building Materials

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Investigation on the flexural behavior of UHPCC considering the effect of fiber

orientation distribution
Su-Tae Kang a,⇑, Jin-Keun Kim b
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Daegu University, 201, Daegudae-Ro, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 712-714, South Korea
b
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 335, Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, South Korea

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This study aims to investigate the effect of fiber orientation distribution on the flexural behavior of ultra
Received 7 February 2011 high performance cementitious composites (UHPCC) and to propose an analytical approach which
Received in revised form 26 May 2011 enables to predict the flexural behavior considering probabilistic fiber orientation distribution. A
Accepted 6 July 2011
three-point bending test with the notched beams was carried out and the fiber orientation distribution
Available online 1 October 2011
was quantitatively estimated by the help of image analysis process. The measured fiber orientation dis-
tributions for two different flexural performances confirmed that the fiber orientation distribution has a
Keywords:
strong impact on the deflection hardening behavior in bending. Finite element analyses were performed
Ultra high performance
Cementitious composites
to predict flexural behavior of UHPCC considering the difference in fiber bridging behavior depending on
Steel fiber the fiber orientation distribution. The analytical results were in good agreement with the experimental
Fiber orientation results.
Flexural behavior Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction [18,19]. Wuest et al. [18] developed a meso-mechanical model to

Up to date, there have been extensive efforts to improve the
strength of concrete; however, as an inevitable result accompany-
ing increased strength, brittle failure has limited the application of
high strength concrete. The incorporation of fibers into the higher
strength of matrix can be employed to overcome the problem of
brittleness by providing high energy absorption capacity and duc-
tile behavior via fiber bridging. Even for ultra high performance
cementitious composites (UHPCC) matrix with a compressive
strength of 200 MPa, incorporating steel fibers can guarantee suffi-
cient ductility of the composites.
The tensile behavior of fiber reinforced concrete or composites
is greatly influenced by the fiber characteristics, such as shape,
amount, and orientation [1–8]. In particular, even when the com-
posites include steel fibers having the same shape and in the same
amounts, variation in the fiber orientation distribution has a strong
impact on their tensile behavior [9–14]. The influence is applied to
UHPCC in the same way. In consequence, the structural perfor-
mance of an UHPCC member is expected to be also dependent on
the fiber orientation distribution. It is therefore necessary to clarify
the effect of fiber orientation on the tensile behavior of UHPCC.
There have been several studies on the effect of fiber orientation
distribution on the uniaxial tensile behavior for UHPCC [15–17]
and proposals to predict the behavior considering its effect
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 53 850 6528; fax: +82 53 850 6529.
E-mail address: stkang@daegu.ac.kr (S.-T. Kang).
predict the tensile response as a function of the volume, aspect ra-
tio, distribution and orientation of the fibers and the mechanical
properties of the matrix. Kang and Kim [19] also suggested an ana-
lytical model to predict the tensile behavior based on the fiber
bridging considering the fiber orientation effect after cracking.
Meanwhile, although the direct tension tests to investigate the uni-
axial tensile behavior of high performance cementitious compos-
ites such as UHPCC in this study are recently increasing, the
worldwide standards for testing are still specifying the bending
test with beam specimens as a standard test method to evaluate
of the various tensile properties of cementitious composites.
Therefore, in order to estimate the experimental results with bend-
ing test thoroughly, it is also necessary to make clear how the
influencing factors have an effect on the flexural behavior. This
study aims to investigate the effect of fiber orientation distribution
on the flexural behavior of UHPCC and to propose an analytical ap-
proach which enables to predict the flexural behavior according to
the fiber orientation distribution.
2. Modeling approach for uniaxial tensile behavior of UHPCC
It is commonly recognized for quasi-brittle materials such as
concrete that the tensile behavior is dominated by localization
after cracking. Such behavior can be found in UHPCC, of which
the behavior quite differs from that of strain hardening cementi-
tious composites (SHCC) presenting the increase in stress with
numerous multiple cracking in uniaxial tension.

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.07.003
58 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65

Before any cracking has taken place in the matrix, during the
early stages of loading, the tensile behavior can be described in
terms of stress–strain relation. The elastic shear transfer at the
interface between the fiber and the matrix is the major mechanism
to be considered for predicting the pre-cracking tensile behavior of
fiber reinforced composites [20]. The tensile stress of the compos-
ites is calculated based on the rule of mixture, expressed by Eq. (1),
as a function of the strain ec in the composites.

rc ðec Þ ¼ rm ðec ÞV m þ gl gh rf ðec ÞV f ð1Þ

In Eq. (1), rf(ec) represents the tensile stress in the fiber at a
strain of ec and rm(ec) is for the matrix. Vm and Vf indicate the vol-
ume fraction of the matrix and the fiber, respectively. gl represents
the length efficiency factor in the pre-cracking case for frictional
stress transfer mechanism. gh means the fiber orientation coeffi-
cient, which depends upon the length of fiber, the effect of friction
on the interface between the matrix and the fiber, etc. However, for
simplicity, if the geometrical arrangement of fiber is only consid-
ered; the fiber orientation coefficient can be defined as given in
Eq. (2) [21].
Z hmax
gh ¼ pðhÞ cos2 h dh ð2Þ
hmin

where p(h) is a probability density distribution for the fiber orienta-

tion and h represents the angle between each fiber axis and the ten-
sile stress direction. It is found that gh has the value of 0.5 for a
random 2-dimensional arrangement and 1/3 for a random 3-dimen-
sional arrangement.
After cracking, the localized behavior is normally expressed by
the load versus crack opening relation. With regard to fiber rein-
forced composites, the localized behavior can be obtained by com-
bining the fiber bridging behavior and the matrix tension softening
behavior after cracking.
The fiber bridging behavior is determined by summing up the
pullout resistance of the individual fiber at the crack plane, when
if assuming that all fibers are pulled out without breakage. When
the pullout resistant force of a single fiber at the cracked plane is
given as a function of the inclined angle of the fiber (h), the embed-
ded length of the fiber (le) and the crack opening displacement (d),
which is denoted as P(h, le, d), the bridging stress of the composites
may be obtained from Eq. (3) [22].
Z p Z lf
4V f 2 2
rb ðdÞ ¼ 2
Pðh; le ; dÞpðle ÞpðhÞ cos h dle dh
p df 0 0
where p(h) and p(le) are probability density functions for h and le
respectively. For three-dimensional random distribution of fibers,
p(h) is equal to sin h (see Fig. 1) and p(le) is given as a function of
fiber embedded length and inclination angle. lf means the length
of fiber.
Lee et al. [23] proposed an analytical model to predict the pull-
out behavior of inclined steel fiber in an ultra high strength cemen-
titious matrix. Both the matrix and steel fiber used in their study
have exactly the same properties as those in this study. Their mod-
el was applied for the pullout resistance of a single fiber, P(h, le, d).
At this moment, it should be noted that the bridging force obtained
from a pullout test may be a little different from that in a compos-
ites, which is mainly caused by the difference in the bond condition
[19,24]. Therefore, additionally in order to consider the difference,
the pullout resistance is multiplied by a correction factor.
As mentioned earlier, besides the fiber bridging, the contribu-
tion of the matrix should be introduced in order to establish the
post-cracking localized behavior. However, unfortunately little
information is available to describe the tension softening behavior
of the UHPCC matrix after cracking. The authors proposed a
Fig. 1. Probability density distribution in 3-D randomly oriented fiber distribution
[22].
bilinear softening curve as a resisting portion by the UHPCC matrix
when the localized behavior of UHPCC is intended to be predicted
[19]. Their proposal was introduced for the tension softening curve
in this study. For the matrix in UHPCC, the stress versus crack
opening displacement in the cracked plane can be taken as
 
w
rct ¼ ft 1  0:7 for 0:3f t 6 rct 6 ft ð4Þ
wc
0:3f t
rct ¼ ðwc  wÞ for 0 6 rct 6 0:3f t ð5Þ
wc  w1
w1 ¼ 0:2 mm; and wc ¼ 0:5 mm ð6Þ
ð3Þ
where ft is the tensile strength, w is the cracking opening (mm), and
rct is the tensile stress at a given crack opening. w1 is the cracking
opening (mm) at rct = 0.3ft, wc is the cracking opening (mm) at
rct = 0.
3. Experimental program
The mix design of UHPCC differs significantly from that of nor-
mal concrete. UHPCC mix proportion applied in this study is given
in Table 1. The water–binder ratio is determined as w/b = 0.2. Sand
with grain size below 0.5 mm is used as fine aggregate, and coarse
aggregates are not included. Superplasticizer has been introduced
to secure the required workability for a low water to binder ratio
composition. In addition, the filler with mean grain size of about
4 lm was used to enhance the density of UHPCC. 2 vol.% of straight
steel fibers with 13 mm length and 0.2 mm diameter were incor-
porated. The property in a fresh state was evaluated by a flow test
(ASTM C1437) and the flowability was measured to be about
230 mm.
Experiments on the effect of fiber orientation on the flexural
behavior of the composites were carried out, and those were
 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65 59

Table 1 distribution were induced by adopting different placing proce-

Mix design of UHPCC. dures (see Fig. 2). Two cases were considered for the placement
Relative weight ratios to cement Steel fiber directions: placing parallel to the longitudinal direction of the
(Vf a, %) beam specimen and placing transversely to the longitudinal
Cement Water Silica Fine Filler Superplasticizer
fume aggregates direction.
1.00 0.25 0.25 1.10 0.30 0.018 2
Flexural tests were implemented using beam specimens with
dimensions of 100  100  400 mm. Before performing the tests,
a
Fiber volume expressed as a volumetric ratio to the whole volume. a 10 mm notch was made on the lower side at the midspan of
the specimen, as shown in Fig. 3.
A three-point bending test with the notched specimen was con-
ducted to examine the relationship between the orientation distri-
bution of the fibers and the characteristics of tensile behavior of
UHPCC. The tests were carried out through displacement control
using an actuator with a capacity of 250 kN. The crack opening dis-
placement was measured by clip gauge located at the notch as
shown in Fig. 3. The deflection at the center of the flexural speci-
mens was also measured by means of a LVDT installed at the center
of the specimens. The flexural tensile test specimen and apparatus
are illustrated in Fig. 3.

3.2. Experimental results

Table 2 gives the measured loads, CMODs, and deflections at the

Fig. 2. Specimen preparations by (a) placing concrete parallel to the tensile
direction of the specimen; and (b) placing concrete transversely to the tensile
direction of the specimen.
compared with the analytically obtained results. The comparison
provides verification of the analytical approach for the flexural
behavior of the composites.
3.1. Test method
In order to investigate the effect of the fiber orientation distri-
bution on the flexural behavior, two types of fiber orientation
moment of first cracking as well as at the point of maximum resis-
tance for the two placing direction cases, respectively. In Table 2,
‘PL’ denotes UHPCC placed parallel to the longitudinal direction
of the beam specimen, which corresponds to the direction tensile
stress acts on in bending, and ‘TL’ indicates UHPCC placed trans-
versely to the longitudinal direction of the specimens. The flexural
test results for two different placing methods of UHPCC are pre-
sented in Fig. 4. The behavior until the initiation of cracking is
shown in Fig. 4a and the whole flexural behavior described in the
load versus CMOD relation is given in Fig. 4b. In addition, the test
results are also presented in the load versus deflection relation,
seen in Fig. 5.
The average of the first cracking load is 24.77 kN for PL speci-
mens and 24.66 kN for TL specimens, respectively. The average
maximum load is 76.78 kN for the PL specimens and 60.39 kN for
the TL specimens. The experimental results show that the post-
cracking flexural behavior is considerably sensitive to how to
place; the PL specimens show better performance than the TL

Fig. 3. Flexural tensile test specimen and apparatus.

Table 2
Flexural test results.

Specimen no. At first cracking At maximum load

Load (kN) CMOD (mm) Deflection (mm) Load (kN) CMOD (mm) Deflection (mm)
PL1 24.41 0.015 0.123 79.78 0.780 0.865
PL2 26.39 0.019 0.308 72.82 1.167 1.113
PL3 23.52 0.016 0.383 77.75 1.183 1.342
Mean (St. dev.) 24.77 (1.469) 0.017 (0.002) 0.271 (0.134) 76.78 (3.579) 1.043 (0.228) 1.107 (0.239)
TL1 25.67 0.018 0.302 59.34 0.730 0.974
TL2 27.04 0.018 0.228 60.51 0.765 0.815
TL3 21.27 0.014 0.347 61.34 0.582 0.894
Mean (St. dev.) 24.66 (3.017) 0.017 (0.002) 0.292 (0.060) 60.39 (1.005) 0.692 (0.097) 0.894 (0.079)
60 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65

40 PL Specimens 40 TL Specimens

30 30

Load (kN)

Load (kN)
20 20

10 10

0 0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0 0.02 0.04 0.06
CMOD (mm) CMOD (mm)

(a) in the initial area including the first cracking

80 80
PL Specimens TL Specimens

60 Load (kN) 60
Load (kN)

40 40

20 20

0 0
0 2 4 6 0 2 4 6
CMOD (mm) CMOD (mm)

(b) overall load-CMOD curves

Fig. 4. Flexural tensile test results according to the placing direction (in the load–CMOD curve).

specimens. For the first cracking load, there is no noticeable differ-
ence between the PL and TL specimens. On the other hand, for the
maximum load, the former is greater than the latter by about 30%,
and the corresponding CMOD and deflection are also higher in the
PL specimens.
4. Analysis and discussion
4.1. Evaluation of fiber orientation distribution
In order to estimate the tensile behavior of UHPCC depending
on fiber orientation distribution, the distribution characteristics

80 80
PL Specimens TL Specimens

60 60
Load (kN)
Load (kN)

40 40

20 20

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8
Deflection (mm) Deflection (mm)

Fig. 5. Flexural tensile test results according to the placing direction (in the load–deflection curve).
 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65
(a) PL1
(b) PL2
(c) PL3
Fig. 6. Digital images of fiber distribution for PL and TL specimens.
of fibers in a composites should be quantitatively evaluated in ad-
vance. For this purpose, an image processing technique proposed
by Lee [25] was adopted. The images were obtained by using
high-resolution camera.
For the purpose of evaluating the orientation of the fibers
according to the placement directions of UHPCC, the specimens
were cut at a cross section, that is, normal to the longitudinal direc-
tion of the beam specimen, as close as possible to the cracked plane
after the flexural test to obtain the images of the cross section.
High resolution photographs were taken at the cross sections using
a digital camera. The images were analyzed using the image pro-
cessing technique.
The obtained images of the fiber distribution are presented in
Fig. 6, where it can be seen that in the case of concrete placed par-
allel to the longitudinal direction of the specimen (PL specimens),
the fibers are more uniformly dispersed compared to the TL spec-
imens. Furthermore, most of the fibers in the PL specimens are
aligned more parallel to the normal direction of the cut plane, com-
pared to the TL specimens. From the image analysis results, the fi-
ber distribution characteristics, the number of fibers per unit area
(Fn, number/mm2) could be also calculated. Fn of the PL specimens
is equivalent to 0.335 and roughly 50% higher than that of the TL
specimens (0.217), which is closely related to the fiber orientation
distribution.
61
(d) TL1
(e) TL2
(f) TL3
The probability density distribution of the fiber orientation for
each specimen is presented in Fig. 7. It can be easily found that
the fiber orientation distribution of the PL specimens is a left-
skewed distribution whereas the TL specimens show a right-
skewed distribution. This means that the fibers in the PL specimens
have a tendency to be aligned such that they are more perpendic-
ular to the cut plane (i.e. parallel to the longitudinal direction)
whereas the TL specimens are more parallel to the cut plane (i.e.
perpendicular to the longitudinal direction). For the purpose of
comparison, the probability density distributions of 2-D random
distribution and 3-D random distribution are presented together.
A comparison of the probability density distribution of fiber orien-
tation is presented in Fig. 8 for the aforementioned four cases; the
probability distributions of PL2, TL2, 2-D random, and 3-D random.
Actual fiber orientation distributions (PL2 and TL2) in the speci-
mens are quite different from idealized orientation distributions
(2-D and 3-D random).
4.2. Estimation of fiber bridging behavior
From the probability density functions of fiber orientation, the
fiber bridging behaviors can be obtained by means of Eqs. (3)
and (6). The obtained fiber bridging behaviors for the PL and TL
specimens are shown in Fig. 9, and it reveals that there is little
62 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65

2 Measured 2.5 Measured

2-D random 2-D random
3-D random 3-D random
1.6 2

Probability, p (θ)

Probability, p (θ)
1.2 1.5

0.8 1

0.4 0.5

0 0
0 30 60 90 0 30 60 90
θ (degree) θ (degree)
(a) PL1 (d) TL1

2.5 2 Measured
Measured
2-D random 2-D random
3-D random 3-D random

2 1.6

Probability, p (θ)
Probability, p (θ)

1.5 1.2

1 0.8

0.5 0.4

0 0
0 30 60 90 0 30 60 90
θ (degree) θ (degree)
(b) PL2 (e) TL2

2.5 2 Measured
Measured
2-D random 2-D random
3-D random 3-D random
2 1.6
Probability, p (θ)

Probability, p (θ)

1.5 1.2

1 0.8

0.5 0.4

0 0
0 30 60 90 0 30 60 90
θ (degree) θ (degree)
(c) PL3 (f) TL3
Fig. 7. Probability density distributions for PL and TL specimens.

variation in each case. Therefore, hereafter, PL2 and TL2 are chosen
as representatives of the PL and TL specimens in analyzing the ef-
fect of fiber orientation distribution or comparing with experimen-
tal results.
The fiber bridging behaviors for four different cases are com-
pared in Fig. 10. The PL specimen shows much better tensile per-
formance than the others. The TL specimen is also better than
the cases with the 2-D and 3-D random fiber distributions, even
though its performance does not come up to that of the PL
specimen.
4.3. FEM analysis and comparison with experimental results
In order to verify the effect of the fiber orientation distribution
on the flexural behavior, finite element analyses were performed,
and the results were compared with the experimental results.
 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65 63

2.5 Measured (PL2) 16 by 3-D randomly distributed fibers

Measured (TL2) by 2-D randomly distributed fibers
2-D random for PL Specimen
3-D random for TL Specimen
2
12

tensile stress (MPa)

Probability, p (θ )

1.5

4
0.5

0
0
0 30 60 90
0 2 4 6 8
θ (degree)
Crack width (mm)
Fig. 8. Comparison of probability density distributions for different fiber orienta-
tion distributions. Fig. 10. Comparison of fiber bridging behaviors calculated with Eq. (3) for different
fiber orientation distributions.
16
PL1
PL2
PL3 16
Tensile bridging stress (MPa)

for PL Specimen
12
for TL Specimen
Tensile bridging stress (MPa)

12 for 2-D distribution

8 for 3-D distribution

0
0 2 4 6 8
0
Crack width (mm)
0 2 4 6 8
(a) PL specimens
Crack width (mm)
16 Fig. 11. Comparison of the simplified curves by Eqs. (7)–(9) with the fiber bridging
TL1
TL2 behaviors obtained from the fiber orientation distribution.
TL3
Tensile bridging stress (MPa)

12
In the finite element modeling, crack propagation at the notch
was simulated by adopting the fictitious crack model, for which
the interface elements were introduced. The pre-cracking tensile
behavior of the interface elements is linear elastic, and the post-
8
cracking behavior follows the combined curve of the matrix soften-
ing and the fiber bridging curve which is determined considering
the fiber orientation distribution.
The matrix softening curve is expressed by Eqs. (4)–(6). For the
4
FEM analysis, it is necessary to introduce a simplified equation for
the fiber bridging behavior. In order to express the behavior, a
quartic equation was adopted for the ascending branch of the
0
bridging curve, and the descending branch was assumed to be lin-
ear. The quartic equation can be expressed as follows:
0 2 4 6 8
"  2  3  4 #
Crack width (mm) 4 lf w w w 1 w
rB ¼ V f sf 2 3 þ2 
(b) TL specimens p df ws ws ws 2 ws
for w 6 ws ð7Þ
Fig. 9. Calculated fiber bridging behaviors of PL and TL specimens.
64 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65

80 by 3-D randomly distributed fibers 80

by 2-D randomly distributed fibers
for PL Specimen Experiment
for TL Specimen
Analysis

60 60

Load (kN)
Load (kN)

40 40

20 20

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 0 2 4 6 8
CMOD (mm) CMOD (mm)

(a) load-CMOD curves (a) PL specimen

80 by 3-D randomly distributed fibers 80

by 2-D randomly distributed fibers Experiment
for PL Specimen
for TL Specimen Analysis

60 60
Load (kN)

Load (kN)

40 40

20 20

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8
Deflection (mm) CMOD (mm)

(b) load-deflection curves (b) TL specimen

Fig. 12. Comparison of flexural behavior according to the fiber orientation Fig. 13. Comparison of analytical and experimental flexural behavior (in load–
distribution: (a) load–CMOD curves; and (b) load–deflection curves. CMOD relation).

In Eq. (7), ws is the crack width when the fiber starts to slide at
the interface, which corresponds with the point when the bridging
stress reaches the maximum, and sf is the frictional shear strength.
lf is the length of the fiber, df is the diameter of the fiber, and Vf is
the volume fraction of the fiber. Eq. (7) is based on the equation
suggested by Grzybowski and Shah [26,27]. They proposed a rela-
tionship between the pullout force of the fiber that normally acts
on the unit area of the crack surface and the crack width, based
on pullout test results. In this study, considering the characteristics
of the pullout behavior of UHPCC [23], the modified quartic equa-
tion was introduced.
For the descending branch of the tensile bridging behavior, the
linear softening curve was assumed based on Fig. 10, expressed by:
 
2 lf w  ws
rB ¼ V f sf 1  for w 6 0:85Lf
p df 0:85lf  ws
rB ¼ 0 for w > 0:85Lf
The bridging behaviors for four different cases are compared with
the simplified curves obtained from Eqs. (7)–(9) in Fig. 11, demon-
strating that the equations express the bridging behaviors very well.
After determination of the bridging curves, FEM analyses were
performed. The analytical results obtained from the FEM analysis
for the notched beams are presented in Fig. 12, which provides
load–CMOD curves as well as load–deflection curves. The analyti-
cally obtained flexural behaviors are compared with experimental
results for the PL and TL specimens in Figs. 13 and 14. The analyt-
ical curves are in good agreement with the experimental results in
both load–CMOD curve and load–deflection curve. Therefore, it can
be said that the prediction of flexural behavior based on the actual
fiber orientation distribution in UHPCC is pretty reliable.
5. Conclusions
In this study, the effect of the fiber orientation distribution on
ð8Þ
the flexural behavior of UHPCC was investigated. For the purpose,
a three-point bending test with the notched specimens having dif-
ð9Þ ferent fiber orientation distributions was carried out and the fiber
 S.-T. Kang, J.-K. Kim / Construction and Building Materials 28 (2012) 57–65 65

80 obtained in a structure or flow-induced fiber rotational movement

Experiment in fresh composites can be predicted in advance, the flexural per-
formance can be easily expected with the help of the analytical ap-
Analysis
proach suggested in this study.
60
Acknowledgments
Load (kN)

This study has been a part of a research project supported by

40 Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT). The authors
wish to express their gratitude for the financial support that made
this study possible.

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tion from two kinds of beam specimens, which were fabricated
with different placing methods to induce different flexural perfor-
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strong impact on the flexural behavior, especially on the deflection
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In order to verify the effect of the fiber orientation distribution
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model, for which the interface elements were introduced. The
pre-cracking tensile behavior of the interface elements is linear
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