Experimental tests on the effect of temperature on the long-term behaviour of macrosynthetic Fibre Reinforced Concretes

This paper presents the experimental results of short- and long-term tests on cracked MSFRC elements at different temperatures. Various factors affecting the long-term behaviour of MSFRCs have been identified in the literature but the effect of temperature has never been investigated. Short term three-point bending tests were carried out at 20 °C and 40 °C. Four-point long-term tests under sustained loads were performed at increasing temperatures (20-50 °C). Temperature reduced the short-term residual strength of some of the MSRFCs analyzed. It also had a strong effect on long-term deformations producing, in some cases, creep-failure. These findings suggest that temperature should always be considered as an important factor when designing MSFRC elements.