A material-performance-based database for FRC and RC elements under shear loading

The shear strength of elements reinforced by fibres is predicted by Codes using formulations generally developed from a limited set of test results. In fact, only few of available test results are combined with a material mechanical characterization, allowing to evaluate and compare the different performances of Fibre Reinforced Concretes (FRC). To address this problem, a material-performance-based shear database for FRC elements and their related reference samples in Reinforced Concrete (RC, with and without web reinforcement) is presented herein, merging the experiences carried out in the last decade at the University of Brescia and at the Universitat Politècnica de València. The database is composed by 171 specimens: 93 in FRC and 78 in RC with or without web reinforcement. For FRC elements, the post-cracking resistance (f_R,1 and f_R,3) is also given according to EN 14651 standard. The evaluation of the shear database was also carried out, discussing the influence of the different factors affecting the shear strength both in FRC and RC samples. Finally, the two formulations suggested by Model Code 2010 for FRC elements are compared against the database results in order to shed new light on code requirements.