Verification of structural elements made of FRC only: A critical discussion and proposal of a novel analytical method

The recent fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010 (MC2010) recognizes fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) as a new structural material, favoring its usage in innovative structural applications. FRC is considered primarily a material with a non-negligible residual strength after cracking. According to MC2010, FRC can be adopted as the only reinforcement in structures provided that both strength and ductility requirements are fulfilled. This paper presents a discussion on the MC2010 requirements for FRC structures applied to both experimental and numerically simulated structural elements, proposing a refined set of equations to check FRC structures (not containing any classical reinforcement) against both service and ultimate limit states.