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Title No.

61-38

Tensile Strength of Concrete


Affected by Uniformly Distributed
and Closely Spaced Short Lengths
of Wire Reinforcement
JAMES P. ROMUALDI and JAMES A MANDEL

Fracture arrest concepts applied to closely spaced wire reinforced con-


crete have revealed that tensile stress is proportional to the inverse square
root of wire spacing. Previous theoretical and experimental studies have
demonstrated this for the case of continuous wires arranged parallel to
one another and parallel to the direction of major principal stress. Similar
results may be achieved with short lengths of wire in random orientation
but nearly uniform spacing throughout the concrete. A correction factor
must be considered to account for the fact that some portion of the wires
is not properly oriented for effective crack control. The crack arrest
mechanism is demonstrated for beam and indirect tension (splitting)
specimens.
Key words: beam; cracking; reinforced concrete; reinforcement; reinforce-
ment spacing; research; tensile strength; wire reinforcement.

• RECENT APPLICATIONS OF basic fracture mechanics to concrete strength


theory indicate that the tensile strength of concrete is substantially in-
creased by suitably arranged and closely spaced wire reinforcement.l· 2
The fundamental concept behind these studies is recognition that the
low tensile strength of concrete is due to the propagation of cracks
originating as internal flaws. The theoretical tensile strength is much
higher than that normally observed and this strength may be more
nearly approached if the initiation of tension cracks is prevented or re-
tarded. This is accomplished if the internal flaws are locally restrained
and prevented from extending into adjacent material. It is the task of
fracture mechanics to provide a quantitative description of the condi-
tions leading to crack or flaw extension and thereby provide a basis
for the prevention of crack growth.
A parallel situation is revealed, for example, when one considers
fiberglass. The probable size and distribution of flaws in glass rods or
filaments decreases with decreasing diameter and consequently, at suit-
ably small diameters, a substantial increase in tensile strength is ob-

657
658 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE June 1964

ACI member James P. Romualdi is associate professor, Civil Engineering Department,


Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, Pa. Professor Romualdi is also an associate
in the firm E. D'Appolonia Associates, Pittsburgh. He is author of several research papers in
applications of fracture mechanics to fail-safe aircraft and reinforced concrete structures.
James A. Mandel is an engineer, Goodyear Aircraft Corporation, Akron, Ohio. In 1962
Mr. Mandel received an MS degree in civil engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology.
Prior to going to graduate school he was employed by Richardson, Gordon and Associates,
consulting engineers, Pittsburgh.

served. The design philosophy behind fiberglass is the reduction in


probable size and distribution of flaws through the use of thin filaments
and, more significantly, the prevention of crack propagation from one
filament to another. 3 The latter mechanism is achieved by the plastic
matrix which binds the filaments together. Thus, in this instance, the
chain is stronger than the weakest link.
Extension of this viewpoint to concrete indicates that similar results
may be expected if the enlargement of internal flaws is prevented or
hindered. This is achieved by using closely spaced wire reinforcement
as a crack arrest mechanism. The size of the largest expected flaw is
assumed to be on the order of the spacing between reinforcement and
the stress required to extend the flaw beyond the limits imposed by the
adjacent reinforcement is substantially greater than that required to
cause crack propagation from a flaw of the same size in the absence
of the reinforcement. Inasmuch as the tensile stress of concrete varies
as the inverse square root of largest flaw diameter, it is expected that
the tensile strength will increase as the reinforcement spacing is de-
creased below a certain critical value. This behavior is verified in Ref-
erence 1 and the critical spacing is found to be on the order of 0.3 to 0.5 in.
The reinforcement geometry used in studies reported to date consisted
of steel wires arranged parallel to one another in a rectangular array.
The individual wires were continuous throughout the test element and
the required spacing was achieved by either stringing individual wires
through pierced templates at the ends of the forms or by stacking layers
of woven wire mesh. This parallel reinforcement arrangement is ame-
nable to theoretical strength calculations, but it poses obvious limitations
and difficulties in practical applications.
These limitations can be avoided, and a more versatile material
obtained, by adding short pieces of fine wire directly into the concrete
mix. It is only necessary that the number of wires added to a given
volume of concrete, for a given percentage of steel, be such that the
average spacing is some selected value on the order of 0.3 to 0.5 in. or
less. Consideration should be given, of course, to the fact that a portion
of the wires will be ineffectively oriented with respect to the principal
tension stress.
The basic fracture arrest mechanism, fundamental to the increase in
tensile strength discussed above, is also of particular significance in
TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE 659

the fatigue strength of concrete. Although the fatigue process is not yet
completely understood, it is generally conceded that it is related to the
incremental extension of flaws and microcracks. Neal and Kesler 4 discuss
the significance of microcracks in the fatigue of concrete and suggest
that a fracture mechanics approach to this problem would be helpful.
The viewpoint expressed in this paper, however, is one which assumes
a substantial degree of control over the growth of flaws and microcracks.
The smaller the spacing between the wire reinforcement, the greater
will be the resistance to crack extension for a given stress level. Accord-
ingly, one would expect good fatigue resistance with closely spaced wire
reinforced concrete.
This paper discusses static bending tests on specimens reinforced with
closely spaced short lengths of wire. The theoretical basis for the ob-
served strength increase is discussed and experimental results are shown
to correspond to results predicted from theory.

PREVIOUS WORK
A detailed description of relevant fracture mechanics concepts and
the function of closely spaced wire reinforcement in the prevention of
crack growth is presented in Reference 2. The basic fracture propagation
phenomenon is best described in terms of the rupturing of a material
solid subjected to a tensile stress a and with an internal disk-shaped
crack. The condition that assures crack extension is that the rate of re-
lease of elastic strain energy in the solid must be greater than the rate
at which energy is required to advance the crack. The former term is
assigned the symbol G and the work rate is termed Gc.
The units of G (and Gc) are work per unit area. However, the con-
dition in the vicinity of the crack tip related to the fracturing process
can be better expressed in terms of the stress intensity factor K which
is related to G by the expression:
7rK2
G=~

The advantage in dealing with stress intensity factors is that K values


from several stress systems may be added algebraically. The total stress
intensity factor (which determines whether or not the crack will extend)
is then:
Kt = ± K1 ± K2 ± Ka ... . ........... (2)

The sign depends on whether the appropriate loading system tends


to open or close the crack.
Reference 2 describes the application of Eq. (2) to the case of an
internal flaw surrounded by steel fibers. If we designate the stress
660 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE June 1964

1000 ASSUMEDlf. •0.3 IN-LBIIN 2


( K• = 169 LB/INM)

800
·;;
a.
ui
Ul 7.0
Ul 600
~ 5.0
Ul 2.!1
(!) 1.0
z
52
0 400
c(
cr
0

200

0~----~-----L----~------~----~----~----~~--~-
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6
WIRE SPACING, INCHES

Fig. !-Theoretical tensile cracking stress as a function of wire spacing

instensity factor due to remote tension, in the absence of the restraining


effect of the steel fibers, by K(J', the total stress intensity factor is
Kt. = Ka~ Kt .... (3)

where K 1 is the stress intensity factor due to the restraint of the adjacent
steel fibers. An internal crack extends when the total K is equal to a
critical value designated Kc ·(a material characteristic). The function
of the steel fibers, from Eq. (3), is to lower the total K for a given re-
mote stress a.
Theoretical solutions, for a variety of reinforcement spacings and
percentages of steel, have been found for experimentally determined
values of K,.~ The results are summarized in Fig 1. which is a, plot of
theoretical tensile cracking strength as a function of reinforcement
spacing for several percentages of steel.
The strong dependence of tensile strength on wire spacing is clearly
evident. The knee (or beginning of the region of steepest slope) is at
a spacing of about 0.5 in. A substantial increase in tensile strength,
however, occurs at smaller spacings.
The first experimental verification of the relationships suggested in
Fig. 1 was described in Reference 1.
TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE 661

AVERAGE SPACING BETWEEN UNIFORMLY


DISTRIBUTED SHORT LENGTHS OF WIRE
If a given number of wires occupy a known volume, the distance be-
tween the geometric centers can be computed if one assumes a com-
pletely uniform distribution. However, only those wires parallel or
nearly parallel to the tensile stress are effective in crack control. Thus,
some correction must be made for those wires that are ineffectively
oriented in the volume space.
The proper correction to be used is uncertain. One could, for example,
assume that only one-third of the wires are effective because there are
three orthogonal axes of orientation (and the tensile stress is parallel
to only one axis). Or one could assume that the ratio of the average
of the projected lengths in one direction to the total length is a proper
correction. This latter alternative is selected.
The calculation of the average spacing (distances between geometric
centers) of "effective" wires is made with the aid of Fig. 2 which shows
a wire of length L oriented in space. The projection in the x direction
is L cos ()cos cf>. If N wires are oriented uniformly (uniform distribution
of () and cf>) , the average length of the wires in the x direction is given by

N rrr/ 2
rrr/ Lcosecosrpd8drp
2

. o · 0 = 0.41L . . . . . . . .. . . ( 4)
N (rr/2)2

Accordingly, only 41 percent of the total amount of reinforcement is


assumed effective in crack control.
The average distance between the centroids of the wires can be found
for a given number of wires in a
known volume. Let N be the num- z
ber of wires and V the volume of
concrete reinforced by the wires.
The average spacing of the cen-
troids is then

Sc = :~I
V NV ············· (5)
Since the wires in any direction are
41 percent effective, the spacing of
the centroids of the effective wires
is

See= v O.~N ........ (6)


Fig. 2-Wire of length L in random of
orientation
662 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE June 1964

The number of centroids per unit area of any cross section is given by

n= ( _1
See
)2··· ....................... (7)

where See is given by Eq. (6).


Assuming the length of the wires greater than See, as will usually be
the case, the wires will extend into cross sections previously allocated
to other wires. This will create an overlapping, thus increasing the num-
ber of wires through any cross section by the factor LISee· The number
of wires at a cross section is then

L
Scc3 ...

or, substituting Eq. (6) in (8):


0.41NL
nw= ...................................... (9)
v
The average spacing of the wires is then

1 J/ v ... . .. (10)
S = y nw = V 0.41NL
The average spacing of the effective wires can be expressed in terms
of wire diameter d and total percentage of steel p. The total volume of
steel Vs in a volume of reinforced concrete V, is

- pV
Vs- 100 ·· · · ··· ································· · ···· (11)

The volume of steel in each wire is rrd 2 L/4 and the number of wires is
then

.. ··························· .. (12)

and, from Eq. (11):

- pV ............. (13)
N- 257rd2L

Substituting (13) in (10) yields:

S= 13.8d v .. ~ . ········ ......... (14)

where p is expressed as a percentage.


TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE 663

TEST PROGRAM
The test program was performed with two objectives. The first was
concerned with the feasibility of successfully mixing short pieces of
steel wire directly with the concrete mix and, secondly, the extent to
which the tensile strengths of the resulting material conform to theo-
retical predictions.
The initial mix study was performed with a sand to cement ratio,
by volume, of 0.45. This ratio, which is abnormally rich in cement, was
subsequently increased to 2.22. The only aggregate used was a good
quality fine sand. Thirty-four gage bright finish, cold drawn steel wire
of various lengths was used for reinforcement.
Mixing was performed in a small rotary drum mixer. The sand, cement,
and water were first mixed and the wires subsequently added in small
increments. Additional water was added as needed. Results indicated
that the water-cement ratio is somewhat critical. If the mixture is too
dry the wires tend to knit together into balls. If the mixture is too wet
the same results are produced. The geometry of the wire is also impor-
tant. If the length to diameter ratio is increased, the tendency of the
wires to knit together also increases. In general, however, no great diffi-
culty was encountered in preparing satisfactory mixes. The required
water-cement ratios are 4.0 gal. of water per sack of cement for a sand-
cement ratio of 0.45 and 5.5 gal. of water per sack of cement for a sand-
cement ratio of 2.22. At these water contents, 34-gage wire could be
mixed in l-in. lengths to a total steel percentage of about 3.0 by
volume. With the addition of a small amount of plastiment, however,
lengths of 1.5 in. of 34-gage wire could be mixed to steel percentages
of 3.0.
Six cylinders were cast from the trial mixes described above and
tested in indirect tension (splitting test). The cylinders were 37fs in.
in diameter and 8 in. in length. Two were of plain concrete (sand-
cement ratios of 0.45 and 2.22) and four were reinforced with various
lengths of 34-gage wire. The tension stress at cracking was calculated
from the equation:
2P ............. (15)
cr= - - ....
.,.DL

where P is the load at cracking, D is the diameter of the cylinder, and L


is the length of the cylinder.
Bending tests were performed to establish the relationship between
average wire spacing and cracking stress of concrete reinforced with
short lengths of wire. The sand-cement ratio was 2.22 and the water-
cement ratio was 5.5 gal. of water per sack of cement. The steel percent-
ages varied from 1.2 to 4.3 and the wire sizes ranged from 16 to 34 gage.
"'"'....

TABLE I-SUMMARY OF INDIRECT TENSION TESTS


Water- Reinforcement Tensile stress, psi
cement
T·est
Sand- ratio
cement (gal. per Length Age, Length, Per-
IAverage
spacing, First
Crack
propa- Strength '-
0
No. Type ratio sack) in. days in. cent in. crack gation Average ratio* c

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (12) (13)
"'z
I (11) )>
r-

1 Plain 0.45 4.0 8 12 - - - 410 410 410 0,

~~
I ....
2 Plain
I 2.22 5.5 8 7 - - I - 370 370 370 :J:
m
)>
Conven- ~
3 tiona! 2.22 5.5 7.25 7 - 2.1 - 450 450 450 1.00 m
reinforce- "'n
ment )>
z
Wire n
4 rreinforce- 0.45 4.0 8 12 1.12 3.2 0.08 925 1090 1008 2.46 0
z
ment I n
"'
Wire ....mm
5 reinforce- 0.48 6.0 5.25 21 0.75 2.7 0.09 1035 1210 1122 2.74
ment z
I CJ)

Wire
....::::!c
6 reinforce- 0.45 4.0 5.75 9 1.00 1.9 0.10 885 945 915 2.23 ....m
ment I
Wire
7 reinforce- 0.45 4.0 8 21 1.00 2.7 0.09 780 1290 1035 2.53
ment I I
*Ratio of tensile strength of closely spaced wire reinforced concrete to that of plain or conventionally reinforced concrete (taken as average
of Tests 1, 2, and 3). '-
c
""'
-o
~
TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE 665

Combinations of these steel percentages and wire gages provided a


range in wire spacing from 0.08 to 1.00 in.
The beams were 38 in. long, 3 in. deep and 1% in. wide. Several of the
beams were 2 in. in width. Twenty beams were made and tested; fifteen
were reinforced with short lengths of wire, four were of plain concrete
and one was reinforced with a % in. diameter deformed reinforcing rod.
The beams were tested in bending with center-point loading. Initial
cracking was assumed to occur when the load-deflection curve of the
beam deviated from a straight line. The maximum tensile stress cor-
responding to the beam load at initial cracking was determined from
the standard linear-elastic relationship for center-point loading, i.e.,

(J = 3PL
2 b h2 .................................................. (lfi)

where P is beam load, L is span length, b is beam width, and h is beam


depth.

TEST RESULTS
Details of the six cylinders prepared during the trial mixes and tested
in indirect tension are presented in Table 1. The tension stress listed in
Column 10 corresponds to the first visible sign of a minute crack form-
ing at the end of the cylinder and crack propagation, listed in Column
11, refers to the stress at which the crack commenced extending in
length. The average of these two stresses, listed in Column 12, is taken
as the cracking stress. Tests 1, 2, and 3 refer to plain or conventionally
reinforced concrete and relatively low tensile strengths are expected.
The average tensile strength for these specimens was 410 psi. The
strength ratios, listed in Column 13, are defined as the ratio of the crack-
ing strength of closely spaced wire reinforced concrete to the average
cracking strength of the conventionally reinforced or plain concrete.
Some liberties were taken in determining the strength ratios in Column
13. Because of the limited number of specimens, some of the comparisons
refer to specimens with different water-cement ratios, and age at testing.
However, the tensile strengths of the plain and bar reinforced specimens
fall in the expected range, whereas the closely spaced wire reinforced
specimens all exhibit a substantial increase in tensile stress. It is this
general trend that is considered significant with respect to the data of
Table 1.
Table 2 summarizes specimen details and tensile strengths for the
20 beam specimens tested. The tensile cracking strengths (defined
as the stresses corresponding to the loads at first deviation from a linear
load-deflection diagram) are listed in Column 9. The strength ratios
are listed in Column 10. The tensile stress of plain or conventionally
666 JOURNAl OF THE AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE June 1964

3.0

\A
\
2.5 ._(t).
A
.
\

~ A - INDIRECT TENSION

~
0- BEAM IN BENDING

0
2.0
8 \ II
~ \ )THEORETICAL
~
'\
0

'"
:::t:
~
0
(J)
8
EXPERI~~
zUJ 1.5 0
~
t;

""- .......
........... A0
1.0

A
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
WIRE SPACING, INCHES
Fig. 3-Theoretica I and experimenta I strength ratio as a function of wire spacing

reinforced concrete used as a reference is the average of the strengths


of Specimens 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
There is a rather large range in the tensile strengths of Specimens 1
through 5, and the use of the average value of 527 psi is only repre-
sentative. Specimens 1 and 2 exhibit tensile strengths of 630 and 675
psi. These values are considerably higher than the values of 360 and
390 psi observed for Specimens 3 and 4. No explanation can be offered
for this discrepancy except to state that the tensile strength of concrete
is a somewhat unreliable quantity and the computed average of 527 psi
is a convenient reference flexural tensile strength for plain or con-
ventionally reinforced concrete.
The strength ratios from the bending tests listed in Table 2, and those
from the indirect tensile tests of Table 1, are plotted as a function of
TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE 667

TABLE 2-SUMMARY OF BENDING TESTS


Reinforcement
Speci-
men
No.
(1)
Type
(2)
--------
Dimensions,

Depth
(3)
in.

I Width
(4)
Wire
gage
(5)
Length,
in.
(6)
Percent
(7)
Average
spa~ing,*
m.
(8)
Flexural
tensile
strength, Strength
psi
(9)
ratiot
(10)
..
1

1 Plain 3 I 1'' - I - - - 630


,, -
2 Plain 3 13' - I - I - 675
3 Plain 3 2 - - I - - 360
4 Plain 3 2 - - - - 390 1.00

5 C o n v e n -3l _ l
t!onal
reinforce-
1%. - - 2.10 - 580
ment

6 Wire
reinforce- I 3 1% 34 1.00 2.10 0.10 1020 1.94
ment I
7 Wire
reinforce- I 3 1% 34 1.00 2.10 0.10 1010 1.92
ment I
8 Wire
reinforce-
ment
I 3
I
1'' . I
20 0.75 2.10 0.33 520 0.99

9 Wire
reinforce- I 3 1:\1,., 20 0.75 2.10 0.33 635 1.20
ment I I
10 Wire
reinforce- I 3 1% 20 1.00 3.75 0.25 870 1.65
ment
I I
11 Wire
reinforce- I 3 1Jl•4 20 1.00 3.75 0.25 825 1.56
ment
I I
12 Wire
reinforce-
ment
I 3
I
13' .. I
20 1.00 2.10 0.33 795 1.51

13 Ireinforce-
Wire I 3 1% 20 1.00 2.10 0.33 820 1.56
ment
I I
14 Wire
reinforce- I 3 1% 20 1.50 2.10 0.33 970 1.84
ment
I I

~
15 Wire
reinforce- I 3 1% 1.50 2.10 0.33 975 1.85
ment
I
16 Wire
reinforce- I 3 2 3 0.62 4.30 0.08 1325 2.52
ment

17 Wire
reinforce- I 3 2 16 2.00 2.10 0.60 705 1.34
ment

18 reinforce-
ment
W«•
Wire
~ ~ ..3 2 16 2.00 2.10 0.60 725 1.37

19 Ireinforce-
ment
3 2 16 2.00 1.20 1.00 660 1.25

20 Ireinforce-
Wire I 3 2 16 2.00 1.20 1.00 825 1.57
ment
I
*From Eq. ( 16).
tRatio of flexural tensile strength to average flexural tensile strength of plain and conven-
tionaiiy reinforced concrete ( 527 psi).
668 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE June 1964

average wire spacing in Fig. 3. The solid curve approximates the ex-
perimental relationship. The average values for the plain and conven-
tionally reinforced concrete from the bend tests (527 psi) and indirect
tension tests (410 psi) are plotted at the extreme right of the graph. No
spacing is attributed to these values.
To compare the experimental relationship in Fig. 3 with the pre-
dicted strength increase requires conversion of the tensile strengths of
Fig. 1 into strength ratios. This, in turn, requires the selection of a base
value and is complicated by the fact that the curves of Fig. 1 continually
decrease with increased spacing. This, of course, is a limitation of the

600r-------~------.--------.------~------~

400

Cl)
.0

~
. 300
<t
u.l
m
z
0
a
4
0
...J

BEAM DEFLECTION, INCHES


Fig. 4--Typical load-deflection curves for closely spaced wire reinforced concrete
TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE 669

theoretical solutions which assume the existence of a crack of a diame-


ter equal to the wire spacing. At spacings on the order of 1 in. or more
such an occurrence is unlikely and the tensile strength is that of plain
concrete. In other words, a lower cut-off point should be established
for the curves of Fig. 1. This is selected as the tensile strength at a l-in.
spacing. The appropriate curve of Fig. 1 is that corresponding to a
steel percentage of 1.0 [the effective steel percentages used in this
study ( 41 percent of total steel percentage) are on the order of 1.0] and
the theoretical stress of 450 psi is reasonably close to the experimental
values for plain concrete.
The theoretical strength ratios (obtained by dividing the theoretical
tensile stresses from Fig. 1 by the strength at a l-in. spacing) are also
plotted as a function of spacing in Fig. 3. The close relationship between
the theoretical and experimental results, previously observed in the
tests discussed in Reference 1 and above, is again observed.
Test results from Beams 8 and 9, indicated in Table 2, reveal virtually
no strength increase. This is to be expected. The wire lengths were only
0.75 in. long and, with an average spacing of 0.33 in., the length to spacing
ratio is only about 2.3. This indicates little overlapping and little crack
control. Most length to spacing ratios reported in this paper vary from
about 4 to 10. Test results for Beams 8 and 9 are not included in Fig. 4.
Representative load-deflection diagrams for Beams, 1, 6, and 16 are
shown in Fig. 4. Some interesting characteristics of closely spaced short
wire reinforced concrete are evident from this figure. When plain con-
crete cracks, the fracture is sudden as illustrated by the curve for
Beam 1. The short-wire reinforced material, however, exhibits an ap-
parent post-cracking plasticity. This behavior is particularly evident
in the curve for Beam 16. This is significant in structural applications.
A slight local overstress will not result in catastrophic cracking of the
entire tension zone, but will permit local reorientation of stress and
provide for added structural integrity.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS


Results of this investigation confirm that the tensile cracking stress
of concrete reinforced with uniformly dispersed short lengths of wire
is an inverse function of wire spacing and that the observed tensile
cracking stresses are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.
The design tensile stress of conventional concrete is negligible. This
is to be expected when one considers the flaw sensitive nature of
plain concrete. Its tensile fatigue strength is about one-half of its
modulus of rupture, and even this value is of uncertain utility in many
applications since the formation of a small crack, due to thermal shock
or impact, could eventually rupture the material. Closely spaced wire
670 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE June 1964

reinforced concrete, however, with a wire spacing of about 0.1 in., ex-
hibits a cracking stress on the order of 1000 psi. Of further significance,
in this respect, is the observation that the material does not imme-
diately rupture at the cracking stress but, with an appropriate wire
length to spacing ratio, exhibits substantial post-cracking strength. Thus,
the cracking stresses reported for a given wire spacing are probably
on the order of the appropriate design stresses.
The unique features of this material indicate a wide variety of struc-
tural applications. The tensile strength and possible resistance to re-
peated loads suggest applications in highway and airfield construction.
Structures exposed to excessive thermal shock, such as rocket launch
facilities and large furnace supports, also represent possible applica-
tions inasmuch as the increased thermal conductivity of the material
(by virtue of the dispersed steel wires) and high tensile strength are
factors leading to increased resistance to thermal spalling and crack-
ing. Preliminary tests have confirmed this expected behavior.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The results presented in this paper are abstracted from a research program in
progress at Carnegie Institute of Technology under the sponsorship of the
National Science Foundation. The work was performed by James A. Mandel as
partial requirement for the degree Master of Science.

REFERENCES
1. Romualdi, J. P., and Batson, G. B., "The Behavior of Reinforced Concrete
Beams with Closely Spaced Reinforcement," ACI JoURNAL, Proceedings V. 60,
No. 6, June 1963, pp. 775-789.
2. Romualdi, J. P., and Batson, G. B., ''The Mechanics of Crack Arrest in
Concrete," Journal, ASCE, V. 89, EM3, Paper, 3558, June 1963, pp. 147-168.
3. Slayter, G., "Two-Phase Materials," Scientific American, V. 206, No. 1,
Jan. 1962.
4. Neal, J. A., and Kesler, C. E., "Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue of Con-
crete," Report No. 621, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Universi•ty of Illi-
nois, 1962.

Received by the Institute May 25, 1963. Title No. 61-38 is a part of copyrighted Journal of
the American Concrete Institute, Proceedings V. 61, No. 6, June 1964. Separate prints are
available at 60 cents each, cash with order.

American Concrete Institute, P. 0. Box 4754, Redford Station, Detroit, Mich. 48219

Discussion of this paper should reach ACI headquarters in triplicate


by Sept. 1, 1964, for publication in the December 1964 JOURNAL.
TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE 671

Sinopsis- Resumes- Zusammenfassung

Resistencia a Tension del Concreto Afectado por Refuerzo con


Alambres Cortos Uniformemente Distribuidos y Muy Cerrados

Los conceptos de formacion de fractura aplicados a concreto reforzado con


alambre a espacio muy cerrado han revelado que el esfuerzo en tension es
proporcionar al inverso de la raiz cuadrada del espaciamiento del alambre.
Estudios previos, teoricos y experimentales han demostrado esto para el caso
de distribucion continua de alambres paralelos unos a otros y paralelos a la
direccion del esfuerzo principal. Resultados similares pueden ser alcanzados
con longitudes cortas de alambre en distribucion arbitraria pero con espaci-
miento casi uniforme a traves del concreto. Debe de considerarse un factor de
correccion por el hecho de que alguna porcion de los alambres no esta orientada
apropiadamente para control efec,tivo de grietas. El mecanismo de formaci6n
de grietas se demues'tra para vigas y tension indirecta (rajadura) en especimen.

La Resistance Tensile due Beton lnfluencee par Pieces


Courtes de Renfort de fil, Uniformement
Distribuees et Etroitement Espacees

Les concepts d'arrestation des fractures appliques au beton arme de fils


d'acier etroHment espaces ont revele que la resistance tensile est proportionale
a l'inverse de la racine earree de l'espacement des fils. Des etudes theoriques
et experimentales anterieures orrt demontre ce fait dans le cas des fils d'acier
continus arranges en parallel et en parallel a la direotion de la contrainte
principale. On peut atteindre des resultats pareils avec des pieces courtes de
fil arbitrairement distribues, mais espaces a peu pres uniformement a travers
le beton. Un facteur de correction devrait etre considere pour expliquer le fait
que quelque porHon des fils ne soit pas convenablement orientee pour le
controle efficace des fissures. Le mecanisme d'arrestation des fissures est dem-
ontre pour des specimens de poutres, et pour la tension indirecte (scission).

Beinflussung der Zugfestigkeit von Beton durch gleichmi:issig verteilte


und in engen AbstC:inden liegende ku rze Stucke von Drahtbewehrung

Theorien hinsichtlich des Stoppens von Bruch in Beton mit engen Beweh-
rungsabstanden haben erwiesen, dass die Zugfestigkeit sich proportional zu der
umgekehrten Quadratwurzel der Abstande verhalt. Friihere theoretische und
experimentelle Untersuchungn erwiesen dies fiir den Fall von durchgehenden
Drahten, die parallel zueinander und parallel zu der Richtung der Hauptspan-
nung angeordnet waren. Aehnliche Ergebnisse ki:innen mit kurzen Drahtlangen
erzieJ.t werden, die i.iber den Beton mit nahezu einheitlichem Abstand verstreut
sind. Ein Berichtigungsfaktor muss in Rechnung gezogen werden fiir die
Tatsache, dass einzelne Teile des Drahtes nicht hinreichend fi.ir wirksame
Bruchkontrolle gelegt sind. Der Mechanismus zur Vermeidung des Bruchs
wird an Trager und indirekten Spannungsmustern demonstriert.
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