Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete jointless slabs-on-grade: A real-scale experimental study

The paper presents a real-scale experimental study of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (Glass-FRC) jointless slabson-grade in outdoor conditions before the application of service loads to evaluate deformations due to shrinkage phenomena and thermal effects. A square slab (20x20x0.18 m) and a unidimensional slab (2x20x0.18 m) reinforced with 10 kg/m3 of glass macro-fibers were cast and monitored for about six months through external and embedded sensors to detect inplane and out-plane slab displacements. A double plastic sheet layer was used under the slab to reduce friction with the support while another plastic sheet was applied on the top slab for a curing-time of seven days to reduce risk of cracking. Among the complementary tests, the frictional behavior between the slab and the support was assessed through a large-scale interface shear test. Environmental temperature and relative humidity were continuously measured over the whole period as well as Glass-FRC main mechanical properties. No cracks were detected by visual inspection after approximately six months.