Model for the compressive stress–strain relationship of steel fiber-reinforced concrete for non-linear structural analysis

A model for non-linear calculations of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) elements in compression is proposed and described technologically. The same curve produced by Eurocode 2 (EC2) is used until compressive strength, although non-dimensional variables refer to fiber concrete parameters. Beyond the peak, we use a parabola that is derived so that the average energy consumption of the material equals this same mean energy obtained from a database comprised of 197 tests. Estimates for the compressive strength of SFRC and the corresponding critical strain are also provided by correlation with the database using the surface response methodology. The total energy consumption of SFRC in compression is approximately four times higher on average than the corresponding energy of the base plain concrete, which is included in the model. Therefore, it can considerably improve the modeling of ductility in SFRC structures.