Analysis of Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete Structures using Truss Models

Ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete is a novel type of cementitious material with a typical compressive strength and tensile strength of approximately 150 MPa and 7 MPa, respectively. The material has been demonstrated to carry shear in girders without the need for the addition of steel bar reinforcement. However, there is currently no method for analyzing this behaviour accurately using simple hand calculations and basic material properties. This thesis proposes a simplified method that uses truss models and stress fields to make quick and accurate ultimate load predictions. A database of shear tests conducted on UHPFRC girders was collected. It was found that the proposed truss model method for analyzing shear is more accurate than simplified methodologies that currently exist in the literature. Further work on the proposed method will consist of improved material models for tension and shear and the analysis of additional UHPFRC shear beam tests.