ABSTRACT
Glassfibre Reinforced Cement (GRC) is a composite material widely used for cladding panels. The knowledge of its tensile behaviour is a very important aspect for the design of members. There are lacks in the models of Fibre Reinforced Cements currently used, particularly in the stresses and strains for matrix crack initiation and growth as well as in the ultimate tensile stress and its corresponding strain. Therefore, a new model has been developed that predicts the tensile behaviour of GRC. Expressions for the Limit of Proportionality (LOP), Bend Over Point (BOP) and Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) have been derived. Theoretical stress-strain curves are compared to experimental results both from the literature and from a test programme carried out by the authors. Agreement between theory and experiments is pointed out.
