Journal of Structural Integrity and Maintenance

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Blast resistance of concrete slab reinforced with

high performance fibre material

Jun Li, Chengqing Wu, Hong Hao, Yu Su & Zhongxian Liu

To cite this article: Jun Li, Chengqing Wu, Hong Hao, Yu Su & Zhongxian Liu (2016) Blast
resistance of concrete slab reinforced with high performance fibre material, Journal of Structural
Integrity and Maintenance, 1:2, 51-59

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/24705314.2016.1179496

Published online: 02 Jun 2016.

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Journal of Structural Integrity and Maintenance, 2016
VOL. 1, NO. 2, 51–59
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/24705314.2016.1179496

Blast resistance of concrete slab reinforced with high performance fibre material
Jun Lia, Chengqing Wua, Hong Haob, Yu Sua and Zhongxian Liuc
a
Centre for Built Infrastructure Research, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia;
b
Department of Civil Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Australia; cTianjin Key Laboratory of Civil Structure Protection and Reinforcement, Tianjin
Chengjian University, Tianjin, China

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
Concrete is now the most abundantly used material in construction. Despite good compressive strength, Blast test; concrete slab; fibre
concrete is marked with brittleness and low tensile strength. A widely adopted method to enhance the reinforcement; UHMWPE
concrete material performance especially the tensile strength and ductility is fibrous material addition. fibre; steel fibre
In the present study, concrete mix designs with different fibre additions have been developed, and
high-performance polyethylene fibre and micro steel fibre are considered with varying volume fractions
in the concrete matrix. Material static properties are obtained from laboratory tests, and further study
on the dynamic performance of theses fibre reinforced concrete materials is investigated through field
blast tests. Concrete slabs with high-performance polyethylene fibre reinforcement and hybrid steel
and polyethylene reinforcement are casted and tested under close-in blast scenarios. Discussion on the
structural damage and material performance is briefed based on the test results.

1. Introduction in performance. Lan, Lok, and Heng (2005) observed similar

Over the past several decades, high strength or ultra-high
strength concrete (Richard & Cheyrezy, 1995) has been under
fast development, and they are now commonly used in
construction of high-rise buildings and offshore structures.
Although these materials can provide unprecedented high
compressive strength, they remain weak in tensile and tend to
become more brittle with the increase of compressive strength
(Gettu & Karr, 1990). These disadvantages prevent conventional
reinforced concrete structures from performing reliably under
dynamic loads. It is commonly observed that under impact
or blast loading environment, concrete usually suffers brittle
damage including spallation, cratering and shear failures, and
all these failure modes are ascribed to the brittleness and low
tensile strength of concrete materials (Li & Hao, 2013, 2014).
Besides structural retrofitting technology using external
bonding materials such as fibre reinforced polymer (FRP)
(Crawford, Malvar, Morrill, & Ferritto, 2001; Mutalib & Hao, 2011;
Wu et al., 2007), introducing randomly dispersed short fibrous
materials into concrete matrix is a common way to improve
survivability of concrete structures in a blast event. Xiao and
Lok (1999) tested a series of simply supported (one way) and
fully fixed (two way) steel fibre-reinforced concrete (SFRC) pan-
els under varying blast loads. The panels were reinforced with
hooked-end steel fibres at fibre contents ranging from .5% to
1.5% and aspect ratios varying between 33 and 75. The panels
were exposed to hemispherical blast waves resulting from dif-
ferent trinitrotoluene (TNT) charge weights. They noted that
the SFRC panels demonstrated improved damage tolerance.
A reduction in the residual displacements was observed as the
fibre content increased from .5% to 1.0%. However, ­increasing
the fibre content to 1.5% did not lead to further i­ mprovements
results, in their report concerning the SFRC slabs under close-in
detonations, and they noted that 1.0% fibre concentration is
optimum in resisting damage comparing with .5 and 1.5% fibre
volume. They also concluded that for the same fibre concen-
tration in SFRC panels, long fibre performed better than short
fibres in resisting cracking and spalling. However, there is a
limit to the fibre length to prevent ‘balling’ in the concrete mix.
Xu, Hao, and Li (2012) adopted spiral-shaped steel fibres into
concrete matrix, and the impact tests had demonstrated that
spiral fibre-reinforced concrete specimens displayed the largest
ultimate compressive strength, the largest post-failure strength
and the largest energy-absorption capacity among the tested
specimens reinforced with seven other types of fibres. Through
blast tests on SFRC columns, Burrell, Aoude, and Saatcioglu
(2014) found that the use of SFRC improved blast performance
of columns and resulted in reducing the maximum and residual
displacements, increased damage tolerance, and an ability to
eliminate secondary blast fragments. Yi, Kim, Han, Cho, and Lee
(2012) developed ultra-high-performance concrete after mix-
ing steel fibre material into reactive powder concrete matrix,
a decrease in Poisson’s ratio was observed after fibre mate-
rial addition, while a higher split tensile strength is obtained
because of the crack-controlling effect of the short steel fibres.
Until now, steel fibre is one of the most widely used fibre
materials to enhance the concrete performance; however, just
like conventional steel reinforcement, steel fibres are highly
corrosive in nature which possibly leads to structural corro-
sion failure. A solution to this problem lies in the alternatives
to ­traditional steel material. Since 1970s, extensive research
was carried out and many alternative fibre materials including
glass fibres and synthetic fibres were developed. Among all fibre

CONTACT  Chengqing Wu  chengqing.wu@uts.edu.au

© 2016 Korea Institute for Structural Maintenance and Inspection
52    J. Li et al.

materials, those used for ballistic applications are typically car- Takeda, and Mitsui (2011) investigated polyethylene fibre-re-
bon fibre, Kevlar® (aramid fibre) and more recently, the Ultra inforced concrete slab under contact detonations, and they
high-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre. Different observed the improved spall and cratering resistance on the
to the conventional polyethylene fibre, low specific weight slab with fibre reinforcement. However, the polyethylene fibre
UHMWPE fibres possess extraordinary mechanical properties material they used is high-molecular weight-polyethylene fibre
such as high modulus, high strength, high impact resistance, not UHMWPE. Until now, in open literature, no information was
high cut and abrasion tolerance. In the late 1970s, UHMWPE found on the blast resistance of UHMWPE-reinforced concrete.
fibres were commercialized by DSM Dyneema, NL under the In the present study, UHMWPE fibre material is mixed into
trade name Dyneema® and more recently by Honeywell in the high strength concrete matrix, and static uniaxial compressive
USA under the name Spectra®. tests and third point flexural bending tests are carried out to
Since the day of invention, one of major interests in the achieve the static mechanical properties of the reinforced con-
application of UHMWPE fibre is in defence protection, and crete material. As a comparison, plain concrete and hybrid steel
this material is found to be extensively used in the armour fibre-UHMWPE fibre-reinforced concrete are also investigated.
protection industry and research has focused on the ballistic Field blast tests are carried out to investigate the blast resistance
performance of UHMWPE composites. Xu and Farris (2007) of concrete slabs made of above materials.
developed matrix free UHMWPE fibre-reinforced composite,
and ballistic tests were carried out to investigate the compos-
2.  Experiment method
ite under projectiles impact with different velocities. Test results
reveal that UHMWPE composites performed better than Kelvar®. 2.1.  Materials and mix proportions
Karthikeyan et al. (2013) measured quasi-static and dynamic
Table 1 shows the concrete material compositions in the current
responses of laminated beams made from monolithic carbon
study. Coarse aggregates in conventional concrete design are
fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and UHMWPE. They observed
replaced by ultra-fine silica fume. Silica fume can provide high
that under quasi-static tests, UHMWPE beams had larger load
pozzonalic effect that promotes the concrete strength growth,
carrying capacity than CFRP beam, and similar observation was
especially at the early age. Silica fume with small size (less than
made under low velocity impacts. Karthikeyan, Russell, Fleck,
1 μm) can also fill the voids to generate low porosity concrete
Wadley, and Deshpande (2013) also investigated the ballistic
matrix.
response of laminated composite plates made of 304 stainless
It is worth noting that in the present study, nano particles
steel, CFRP and UHMWPE. They found that on an equal areal
nano-CaCO3 are added into the concrete matrix at a constant
mass basis, the UHMWPE plates had the highest ballistic limit.
volume fraction. These particles can provide nanoscale filling
Mohagheghian, McShane, and Stronge (2015) experimen-
effect, and previous study revealed that inclusion of nano size
tally studied the perforation of UHMWPE plate and the results
particles into the concrete matrix favours its mechanical per-
were compared with those with low-density polyethylene and
formance (Su, Li, Wu, Wu, & Li, 2016). Liu, Chen, Liu, and Wang
high-density polyethylene, and they noted UHMWPE plates
(2012) added nano-CaCO3 into the cement paste and the exper-
showed better perforation resistance under both quasi-static
imental results showed that with the increase of nano-CaCO3
indentation and impact loading, and they ascribed such per-
content, the flowability decreased and the setting time of fresh
formance to UHMWPE’s high strain hardening which delays
cement paste was shortened. Flexural strength and compres-
the onset of localization. Russell, Karthikeyan, Deshpande, and
sive strength increased with the addition of nano-CaCO3 at the
Fleck (2013) developed test protocols for the tensile testing of
age of 7 and 28 days.
laminates, yarns and fibres made from UHMWPE, and had elu-
To compensate the loss in flowability after introducing the
cidated the relationship between the tensile properties of the
nano particles and fibre material, water reducer was used. For
laminate, yarn and fibre for Dyneema® SK76 over a wide range
comparative purpose, plain concrete with the same material
of strain rate.
composition but without fibre material addition is employed.
Despite many research on the UHMWPE laminate under
Two different fibre materials, that is, steel fibre and UHMWPE
static and dynamic loads, little work can be found in the open
fibre are used in the current design. Material properties of these
literature concerning the UHMWPE fibre mixed with concrete
two fibres are listed in Table 2. From the hybrid fibre reinforce-
matrix. As reported by Xu and Farris (2007), because of chem-
ment design, it is anticipated that the stronger and stiffer steel
ical inertness and a lack of functional groups, UHMWPE fibres
fibre improves the ultimate strength, while the more flexible
are difficult to bond to most materials, which makes it diffi-
cult to produce UHMWPE FRP matrix composites. Several fibre
pre-treatments exist and they are proven to improve the bond- Table 1. Material compositions for fibre reinforced concrete (kg/m3).
ing strength of UHMWPE fibres to matrix, however after treat- UHMWPE fibre Hybrid UHMWPE-steel
ment, fibre properties generally deteriorate. Among the quite Composition concrete fibre concrete
few researches, Zhang et al. carried out experimental (Zhang, P.O 52.5 cement 1155.60 1155.60
Yan, Zhu, Zhang, & Li, 2014) and numerical (Zhang, Yan, & Li, Silica fume 437.50 437.50
Nano CaCO3 57.80 57.80
2014) investigation on the projectile penetration into UHMWPE Microbead 111.50 111.50
fibre-reinforced concrete, and their results showed UHMWPE Silicon powder 500 110.30 110.30
fibre is of excellent effects to improve the tension strength and Silicon powder 325 68.20 68.20
Fine sand 334.50 334.50
toughness of concrete, and penetration depth and cratering Medium sand 278.80 278.80
area under bullet penetration are decreased significantly com- Coarse sand 211.90 211.90
pared with plain concrete. Ranade, Heard, and Williams (2016) Water reducer 55.47 55.47
Water 294.67 294.67
studied multiscale mechanical performance of high strength- Fibre 24.30 UHMWPE fibre 14.6 UHMWPE fibre
high ductility concrete, and in their experiment, UHMWPE was 76.4 Steel fibre
used to reinforce the concrete material. Yamaguchi, Murakami, Anti-freeze fluid 16.50 16.50

Table 2. Fibre material properties.
Type Density (kg/m3) Length (mm) Diameter (mm)
UHMWPE fibre 970 10 .012
Steel fibre 7900 12 .12
(a) Uniaxial compressive test reuslts
Figure 1. (Colour online) Static test results on concrete with and without UHMWPE fibre reinforcement.
and ductile UHMWPE fibre leads to improving toughness and
strain capacity in the post-crack zone (Zheng & Feldman, 1995).
Maalej, Quek, and Zhang (2005) proposed a hybrid-fibre
reinforcement for concrete material, and hybrid-fibre engi-
neered cementitious composites containing a combination of
high-modulus steel fibres and relatively low modulus polyethyl-
ene fibres were adopted to achieve a desired balance between
the ultimate strength and the strain capacity of the material
required for impact- and blast-resistant structures.
The effect of using steel and polyethylene fibres together in
concrete has been investigated by Kobayashi and Cho (1982),
and they found the first-crack strength of a hybrid compos-
ite was about the same as that for steel fibre-reinforced con-
crete, and moreover, it was possible to achieve a toughness
such that there was little reduction in strength after extensive
deformation.
In the present study, for mono UHMWPE fibre-reinforced
concrete, the fibre volume fraction is 2.5 Vol-% while the hybrid
fibre-reinforced concrete, UHMWPE fibre is 1.5 Vol-% and steel
fibre is 1.0 Vol-%.
2.2.  Material static tests
Static uniaxial compression and third-point bending tests are
conducted to investigate the mechanical properties of concrete
reinforced with fibre material proposed in this study. Testing
procedure conforms to the China Standard GB/T 50081-2002.
Figure 1(a) shows the compressive stress–strain curve for the
concrete material with 2.5 Vol-% UHMWPE fibre addition, and
the curve is averaged from a series of uniaxial compression
tests on 100 mm cubic samples. Compared with plain concrete
without fibre material, material stiffness and ductility are sig-
nificantly enhanced; however, material compressive strength is
less influenced by the UHMWPE fibre addition.
To investigate the tensile performance and ductility of con-
crete material after UHMWPE fibre reinforcement, three-point
bending tests are carried out on beam samples with a dimen-
sion of 400  ×  100  ×  100  mm. The spacing between the two
Journal of Structural Integrity and Maintenance   53
Strength (MPa) Elasticity modulus (GPa) Elongation (Fracture strain) (%)
3000 100 4–6
4295 200 15
(b) Third-point bending test results
Figure 2.  (Colour online) Hybrid fibre reinforced concrete under uniaxial
compression.
loading points is 100 mm which is one-third of the clear (outer)
span. Within the loading points, no shear acted and the speci-
mens are solely subjected to bending moments. The displace-
ment of the beam element is measured in the centre of the free
span through a Linear Variable Displacement Transducer (LVDT)
device. Figure 1(b) shows the flexural bending test results, and
it can be observed that plain concrete has a relatively low
strength of 2.5 MPa, while UHMWPE-reinforced concrete has
an enhanced flexural strength of 4.2  MPa. The tensile strain
capacity is significantly improved with UHMWPE fibre addition.
Regarding the hybrid fibre reinforcement, uniaxial compres-
sion test is carried out and comparison is made among plain
concrete, mono UHMWPE fibre-reinforced concrete and hybrid
fibre-reinforced concrete. As shown in Figure 2, improvement of
both material ductility and strength are observed on the sample
with hybrid fibre reinforcement. Using the concept of hybrid-
ization with two different fibres incorporated into a common
cement matrix, the hybrid composite can offer more attractive
engineering properties because the presence of one fibre ena-
bles the more efficient utilization of the potential properties of
the other fibre (Yao, Li, & Wu, 2003). As observed in the present
study, the inclusion of steel fibre and UHMWPE fibre effectively
54    J. Li et al.
(a) Plain concrete
Figure 3. (Colour online) Concrete samples after uniaxial compression test.
196 mm
Figure 4. Dimension and reinforcement of slabs in close-range explosion tests.
enhances the material strength and tensile capacity which is
favourable for the next stage blast resistance design.
Concrete samples after uniaxial compression tests are shown
in Figure 3, where plain concrete failure is in a progressive brittle
mode while the fibre reinforced samples showed ductile failure,
and bridging effect from fibre material can be clearly observed.
After initiation of crack, fibre material bridges over cracks and
retards crack propagation which helps improve the material
ductility and strength.
3.  Blast testing program
3.1.  Slab preparation
In the present test matrix, all slabs were built with the same
size. As depicted in Figure 4, the dimensions of the slabs are:
2000 mm long, 800 mm wide and 120 mm thick. The diameter
of the longitudinal reinforcing rebar and stirrup rebar is 12 and
10 mm, respectively. The longitudinal and stirrup spacing is 95
and 196 mm, respectively. The yielding strength for the longi-
tudinal and stirrup rebar is 270 MPa.
The material properties and static performance of both
the mono UHMWPE fibre-reinforced concrete and the hybrid
fibre-reinforced concrete material are obtained from the above
static experiments. Improved compressive and tensile prop-
erties as well as energy absorption capability are noted from
the fibre addition. In the following study, field blast tests on
mono UHMWPE fibre-reinforced concrete slabs and hybrid
steel-UHMWPE fibre-reinforced concrete slabs are carried out.
(b) UHMWPE concrete (c) hybrid fibre concrete
20 mm
Longitudinal rebar Stirrup rebar
Blast resistances of these slabs under close-in detonations are
observed and compared with each other.
For mono UHMWPE fibre-reinforced concrete slabs, two blast
events are considered. A 6 kg TNT explosive is used in the first
event on UHMWPE-1 slab in which an elastic slab deformation is
expected. The data acquisition system is composed of pressure
transducer and LVDT. As shown in Figure 5, two pressure sensors
(PT1 and PT2) with 1 MHz sampling rate are installed on the slab
proximal surface to record the blast pressure, PT1 is installed on
the slab centre and PT2 is installed close to the free edge. A LVDT
with effective stroke distance of 300 mm (+150 to −150 mm)
is installed beneath the slab on the distal surface to record the
slab mid-span deflection history. In the second event, a 12 kg
TNT explosive is used on UHMWPE-2 slab. To avoid possible
damage, no pressure sensor is installed.
For hybrid fibre-reinforced slabs, the same blast loading sce-
narios are considered. A 6 kg TNT at 1.5 m standoff distance is
employed for Hybrid-1 slab while 12 kg TNT at 1.5 m standoff
distance is used for Hybrid-2 slab. Only LVDT is installed on these
two slabs for deflection measurement.
For comparison purpose, slab made of plain concrete is tested
under 8 kg TNT detonation at 1.5 m above the slab centre. Slab
failure is anticipated for plain concrete slab under this loading
scenario. It is worth noting that despite the inclusion of plain con-
crete slab cannot provide quantitative comparison with fibre-re-
inforced slabs, its performance can qualitatively demonstrate the
effectiveness of the fibre-reinforced concrete against blast load.
Test matrix in the current study is summarized in Table 3.
 Journal of Structural Integrity and Maintenance   55

Table 3. Field blast test matrix.

Slab No. TNT charge weight (kg) Standoff distance (m) Scaled distance (m/kg1/3) Data acquisition
UHMWPE-1 6 1.5 .825 Blast pressure
Slab deflection
UHMWPE-2 12 1.5 .655 Slab deflection
Hybrid-1 6 1.5 .825 Slab deflection
Hybrid-2 12 1.5 .655 Slab deflection
Plain concrete slab 8 1.5 .750 Slab deflection

PT2

PT1

LVDT

Figure 5. (Colour online) Pressure sensor installation on the UHMWPE-1 slab under 6 kg TNT at 1.5 m standoff distance.

TNT

1.5 m

Steel frame Steel bolts

LVDT

Steel cleats

Figure 6. (Colour online) Close-in detonation setup and clamping system.

3.2.  Testing setup 1 g TNT per detonator. Comparing with the explosive charge
weights used in the current tests, the effects from the detonator
Test-setup is shown in Figure 6. In the present test study, the
are deemed not prominent and can be neglected.
slab is placed on a precast steel frame with a height of 600 mm
The charge shape and orientation play important roles in
above the ground. The slab is clamped at its both ends with steel
the blast peak pressure and impulse (Wu, Fattori, Whittaker,
cleats and bolts. This set-up is an idealized fix end boundary
& Oehlers, 2010; Wu, Oehlers, Rebentrost, Leach, & Whittaker,
which prevents slab from rebounding under severe blast loads.
2009). In the present set-up, the detonator is positioned at the
It is also worth noting that, due to the distance between the slab
top of the cylinder causing the blast to propagate along the
and ground is not sufficiently large, blast pressure that reflects
axis of the cylinder, focussing the pressure of the charge to
from the ground may generate negative bending moment
the centre of the slab. Also, the geometry of the charge may
on the slab. It is believed that such blast reflection may help
cause a concentration of blast energy to emanate from the end
increase the slab blast-resistance performance; however, this
of the charge. In the previous tests concerning the shape and
part is beyond the scope of current study and therefore not
orientation of the explosive (Ciccarelli, Henderson, Jordans, &
discussed herein.
Noack, 2008), it was found that for the cylindrical charge with
It is worth noting that in the present study, cylindrical TNT
the axis oriented vertically it can be seen that the reflected pres-
explosive is used in the tests with its axis perpendicular to the
sure was highly directional, and the peak pressure was approx-
slab surface (see Figure 7), and detonator is used to electrically
imately 200% larger than the theoretical value given by UFC
activate the explosive. The explosive in the detonator is hexo-
3-340-02 (DoD, 2008), and then drops below the theoretical
gen (RDX) with TNT equivalence ratio of 1.58. One detonator
value at the edges of the slab.
contains .4–.6 g RDX with NEQ (net explosive quantity) less than
56    J. Li et al.

(a) 6 kg TNT (b) 8 kg TNT (c) 12 kg TNT

Figure 7. (Colour online) Explosives used in the current blast tests.

4.  Field blast tests results and discussion

UHMWPE-1 Slab after test
Figure 8. (Colour online) UHMWPE-1 fibre reinforced concrete slab after 6 kg TNT
from 1.5 m standoff.
Figure 9. Deflection time history of UHMWPE slab under 6 kg TNT at 1.5 m.
Figure 8 shows the UHMWPE-1 slab after 6 kg TNT detonation at
1.5 m standoff distance. It can be clearly noted that UHMWPE-1
slab suffered no damage and no permanent deflection can
be observed. The clamped boundary effectively resisted the
blast load and rebound of the slab was prevented. Due to the
pressure sensor system malfunction, the pressure time history
data in the present test was not properly recorded. The peak
blast overpressures given by PT-1 and PT-2 are 9.5 and 7.7 MPa,
respectively which are more than 20% higher than the empirical
predictions by UFC 3-340-02.
The deflection time history of the UHMWPE-1 slab is shown
in Figure 9. During the blast loading phase (within several mil-
liseconds), slab responds promptly and after the blast loading
phase the slab enters into a free vibration period, and the max-
ium deflection at slab mid-span is around 27 mm.
UHMWPE-2 fibre-reinforced concrete slab was subjected
to a 12 kg TNT detonation at the same standoff distance, and
it is noted from Figure 10 that flexural failure occurred at
the slab mid-span. Mid-span crack can be observed but not
throughout the whole cross section. Slab mid-span deflec-
tion was not completely measured in the test owing to the
deflection went beyond the measurement range of the
LVDT as shown in Figure 11. The slab maximum deflection
was measured to be more than 95  mm and its permanent
deflection was 50  mm obtained manually with a ruler and
string after test.
Figure 12 shows the Hybrid-1 slab after 6 kg TNT detonation
at 1.5 m standoff distance, and the slab shows some hairline
cracks but no permanent deflection thanks to the fibre material

(a) Slab flexural crack (b) Residual deflection

Figure 10. (Colour online) UHMWPE-2 fibre reinforced concrete slab after 12 kg TNT detonation from 1.5 m standoff distance.

addition. Due to the LVDT system malfunction, no data were
collected for slab mid-span deflection.
For Hybrid-2 slab which was loaded with the same blast as
UHMWPE-2 slab, similar flexural failure was observed with a
major crack located on the slab mid-span as shown in Figure
13. The crack depth was about 70 mm which was smaller than
UHMWPE-2 slab. According to LVDT measurement, the max-
imum slab deflection was about 72  mm as shown in Figure
14. The slab permanent deflection was manually measured as
34 mm. Both the maximum deflection and permanent deflec-
tion of Hybrid-2 slab are smaller than UHMWPE-2 slab. Such
improvement can be ascribed to the combination of both
fibre materials, steel fibre contributes more to the strength
Figure 11. Deflection time history of UHMWPE slab under 12 kg TNT at 1.5 m.
Figure 12. (Colour online) Hybrid-1 fibre reinforced concrete slab after 6 kg TNT
detonation from 1.5 m standoff distance.
(a) Slab flexural crack
Figure 13. (Colour online) Hybrid-2 fibre reinforced concrete slab after 12 kg TNT detonation from 1.5 m standoff distance.
Journal of Structural Integrity and Maintenance   57
enhancement, while UHMWPE fibre helps more with the mate-
rial ductility.
A close investigation on the mid-span cracks on UHMWPE-2
fibre reinforced slab and Hybrid-2 fibre-reinforced slab is
shown in Figure 15. It is noted that Hybrid-2 slab develops
multicracks along the slab depth. During the crack opening,
steel fibres with higher tensile strength effectively bridge
over the major cracks; the elongation and pull-out of the steel
fibre transfer stress into the surrounding concrete matrix and
develop more refined cracks, and these microcracks can be
further confined by both steel fibre and UHMWPE fibres. For
mono UHMWPE fibre-reinforced slab UHMWPE-2, due to the
lower fibre strength and modulus, and also the weaker bonding
between UHMWPE fibre and concrete matrix (Xu & Farris, 2007),
the bridge effect is less prominent than hybrid fibre reinforced
concrete slab.
Figure 16 shows the plain concrete slab after 8  kg TNT
detonation at 1.5 m above the slab centre, and the slab fails
completely with a permanent deflection of 190  mm which
is manually measured after the test. Although some shear
cracks can be observed, the failure of the plain slab is pre-
dominantly flexure with a major crack in the slab mid-span.
After the blast load impinged upon the slab, tensile crack was
initiated on the slab distal surface. With the increase of the
slab deflection, longitudinal reinforcement started yielding
and the slab failed after concrete crush on the slab proxi-
mal surface. In addition, some side concrete spallation can
be observed on the slab free edge, and this kind of failure
is induced by stress wave propagation. It is clearly seen that
Figure 14. Deflection time history of Hybrid-2 slab under 12 kg TNT at 1.5 m.
(b) Residual deflection
58    J. Li et al.
Single crack
(a) UHMWPE-2 slab
Figure 15. (Colour online) Crack development on UHMWPE-2 slab and Hybrid-2 slab.
(a) Slab failure
Figure 16. (Colour online) Plain concrete slab after 8 kg TNT detonation from 1.5 m standoff distance.
plain concrete is less blast resistant than fibre reinforced con-
crete discussed earlier.
5. Conclusion
In this paper, an experimental study on the high-performance
fibre reinforced concrete is carried out. UHMWPE fibre material
is featured with low density but equipped with high material
tensile strength and modulus. Previous study reveals UHMWPE
composites have excellent anti-impact capability. In the pres-
ent study, concrete material with UHMWPE fibre reinforce-
ment is developed, and static test results show that addition
of UHMWPE fibre material has profound influence on concrete
tensile performance, and both concrete tensile strength and
strain capacity receive enhancement after UHMWPE fibre addi-
tion. However, material compressive strength is less sensitive to
the UHMWPE fibre addition. A hybrid fibre addition, that is, steel
fibre and UHMWPE fibre is also investigated, and the static test
results show that hybrid fibre addition can further enhance con-
crete strength while also provide better tensile strain capacity.
Field blast tests on concrete slabs demonstrated the feasibility
of using these fibre-reinforced concrete materials against blast
loads. Under severe blast loads from 12  kg TNT detonations
at 1.5 m standoff distance, the slabs made of UHMWPE fibre
and hybrid fibre material experienced much less damage and
smaller structural deformation as compared to the normal rein-
forced concrete slab.
Multiple cracks
(b) Hybrid-2 slab
Extensive concrete crush
Shear crack
Yielding of longitudinal reinforcement
(b) Residual deflection
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was supported by the ARC Discovery [grant number DP160104661];
National Basic Research Programme [grant number 2015CB058002].
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