Design of Only Fibers Reinforced Concrete Segments

Abstract: The Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) is a composite material made of basic concrete in which a homogeneously distributed fibre reinforcement is incorporated and homogeneously distributed. Fibre’s addition in concrete controls plastic and hydraulic shrinkage cracking, considerably improves the concrete post-cracking behaviour. Steel fibres have been used in precast segment tunnel linings (which are the support method in Tunnel Boring Machine excavation method) as a primary reinforcement (only fibres) or secondary (in addition to a reduced quantity of steel rebar). From the early 90s and, up to date, more than 80 projects have been realized with steel fibres alone or in a hybrid solution.