scope:

agreed design approaches in North America for some of its applications. Unlike reinforced concrete with steel bars or welded wire mesh, the design of fiber reinforcement is not properly covered by national design codes. In Model Code 2010 (fib 2013), sections were added for new developments in the design of FRC as a part of the building code. ACI 318 has limited discussion on the use of fibers, such as provisions for using steel fibers as shear reinforcement in flexural members. ACI 360R presents the basics of fiber-reinforced slabs-on-ground, and ACI 506.1R discusses the design and application of fiber-reinforced shotcrete. It is the intent of this document to provide practicing engineers with simple yet appropriate design guidelines and state-of-the-art applications for FRC. This guide is intended for designers who are familiar with structural concrete containing conventional steel reinforcement, but who may need more guidance on the design and specification for FRC. In this document, fibers are treated as reinforcement in concrete and not as an admixture.

reinforcement in concrete and not as an admixture. This guide discusses the types and typical dosages for fibers, general material properties, and available test methods for characterization of FRC. Explaining the design concepts and existing guidelines for fiber reinforcement is the focus of this document, including constitutive laws, design for flexure, design for shear, and design for crackwidth control. This is further extended to specific applications for slabs-on-ground, composite slabs-on-metal decks, pile-supported ground slabs, precast units, shotcrete, and special applications. The final portion of this guide provides brief recommendations for specifying and building with FRC that includes general guidelines for mixing, placing, and finishing.

Although there are several types of fibers commercially available, this document is only applicable to steel fibers and polyolefin synthetic macrofibers that comply with ASTM C1116/C1116M. The formulas and applications discussed in this document should be verified for any other types of fibers. This document provides design guidelines based on the mechanical and structural properties of FRC as a composite material and not individual fiber products. Different fiber products may exhibit different performances in concrete; hence, it is crucial to design and specify FRC properties in addition to fiber types and materials that are suitable to achieve such properties.