Dynamic splitting tensile test of hybrid-fiber-reinforced reactive powder concrete

In order to investigate the dynamic splitting tensile strength of reactive powder concrete (RPC) under high strain rates, split Hopkinson pressure bar experiments are conducted on hybrid-fiber-reinforced (2% steel fiber and 0·2% polypropylene fiber) RPC. The results show that the dynamic splitting tensile strength of RPC increases with an increase in nominal strain rate from 100 to 350 s⁻¹. The splitting tensile strength dynamic increasing factor (SDIF) of RPC is lower than that of ordinary concrete with the same compressive strength. This is mainly because the compactness of RPC is higher than that of normal concrete. Further, considering that it is not safe to apply the calculation method of SDIF to RPC in the European code Comité Européen du Béton, empirical relations of SDIF and strain rate for RPC with hybrid fibers are proposed. The proposed SDIF–strain rate relations for RPC can be used to computer programs for evaluating the dynamic response of RPC structures.