A new design approach for SFRC slabs on grade based on fracture mechanics

In concrete pavements, steel fibers are particularly suitable both for limiting shrinkage effects and for increasing their bearing capacity and fatigue resistance. In the present paper, the fracture behavior of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) slabs-on- ground is studied by using nonlinear fracture mechanics (NLFM) finite element (FE) analyses. The fracture mechanics method has been validated by results from experiments performed by the authors as well as by test results available in the literature. Experiments concern tests on full-scale slabs on an elastic soil subjected to a load in the slab center. The comparison shows that NLFM analyses closely predict crack development, ultimate load, and the collapse mechanism of the slab-on-ground. The numerical results can be summarized in abaci for design purposes that provide the minimum slab thickness and the maximum crack opening once the material properties and the applied loads are known.