Full-Scale Test and Load-Bearing Capacity Evaluation of Synthetic-Polymer-Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Tetrapods under Quasi-Static Loading

This paper studies the load-bearing capacity of various concrete tetrapods under quasi-static loading. The tetrapods were made of plain concrete and synthetic-polymer-fiber-reinforced concrete. Load tests of the tetrapods were performed. The maximum load-bearing capacity and the residual-load-bearing capacity of the tetrapods (the load-bearing capacity after the first crack or at different crack widths) were evaluated. The strength and residual-strength values were back-calculated from the load-bearing capacities, and compared with available data from the literature. The specimens with and without fibers achieved similar maximum load-bearing capacities, with cracks occurring at identical locations. However, the differences in residual-load-bearing capacity were more significant. The synthetic-polymer-fiber-reinforced concrete tetrapods exhibited relatively high residual-load-bearing capacities, even at higher displacements and crack widths. Two different calculation-procedures were used for the load-bearing-capacity evaluation. A load-displacement calculation based on the moment-versus-curvature relation and the plastic-hinge approach was performed, and additionally proved the applicability of the employed calculation-procedures for the concrete tetrapod load-bearing-capacity evaluation.