Comparisons of flexural, split tensile, double punch, and direct tension tests on high-performance concrete reinforced with different fiber types

The study investigates the variation of tensile strength of high-performance concrete (HPC) based on various tensile tests, such as the flexural test, splitting tensile test, double punch test, and direct tension test, conducted on dog bone specimens. The test samples were HPC concrete reinforced with three different fibers in a fraction ratio ranging from 0 to 2 percent. The three kinds of fibers utilized in this investigation are those most frequently employed in Vietnam, including straight steel fibers with copper plating, polypropylene (PP), and hook steel fibers. The study additionally investigates the similarities between the results of tensile strength experiments on HPC concrete by examining the average tensile strengths, tensile failure modes, and material behavior graphs of tensile stress versus recorded specimen displacement. Overall, The average tensile strength results of bending and splitting tensile tests were significantly higher than those of the direct tensile and double punch tests. All tests could capture the behavior of HPFRC in the working periods. Splitting and flexural tensile test results followed a normal distribution. However, direct and double punch test results did not. The results of this study show that double punch tests can be used instead of direct tensile tests to measure the tensile strength of fiber concrete.