ABSTRACT
The main objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of several recent computer models and numerical schemes that are developed specifically for fiber reinforced cementitious composites. The models covered in this chapter deal with fundamental mechanisms influencing the behavior of fiber reinforced cement based composites in general. The models are classified into two main groups. Both groups deal with macroscopic behavior of the composite material, either by simulating the fiber composite material behavior or by predicting the mechanical response of structural elements made of fiber composites. The difference between the two groups is characterized by the method and level of modeling. In the first group, the micromechanical mechanisms are modeled in the composite at the fiber matrix level. Different schemes and numerical techniques are introduced to account for crack initiation, crack opening in the composite, the resulting pull-out resistance of bridging fibers, and other involved mechanisms. These micromechanical properties are then integrated to provide a simulation package to predict the mechanical properties of fiber composite materials or the structural response of elements made of fiber composites. In the other group, however, the fiber composite material is viewed as an isotropic or anisotropic material that can be modeled by constitutive relationships. Calibration of such models is usually done in accordance with experimental observation. The advantage of such models is that they can be easily incorporated in simple well established numerical computational schemes to predict the structural response of fiber composite structural elements as well as an assembly of such composite elements.
