This paper presents an experimental study on the effect of high strain rate on the compressive behavior of two strain-hardening cement based composites (SHCCs), compared to that of fiber-reinforced high-strength concretes (FRHSCs) with similar compressive strengths.
One of the SHCCs was reinforced with 2% of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers by volume (SHCC-PVA) and had a compressive strength of 64 MPa. The other was reinforced with 0.5% of steel plus 1.5% of polyethylene (PE) fibers by volume (SHCC-ST+PE) and had a compressive strength of 83 MPa.
Split Hopkinson pressure bar and hydraulic machine experiments were conducted to determine the behavior of the SHCC and FRHSC at strain rates from 30 to 300 and 10−4 to 10−1 s−1, respectively.
The Dynamic Increase Factor (DIFfc), the ratio of the material strength under dynamic loading to that under static loading, was determined for the materials considered.
The fracture patterns of the specimens, matrix, and fibers were carefully examined.
The results indicate that the fiber content has a significant effect on the DIFfc values. In addition, it is shown that the equations in CEB-FIP 1990 and fib 2010 codes are not applicable for SHCC and FRHSC beyond a transition strain rate of 30 s−1.