The Behavior of Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Elements: A New Stress-Strain Model Using an Evolutionary Approach

Abstract

Several stress-strain models were used to predict the strengths of steel fiber reinforced concrete, which are distinctive of the material. However, insufficient research has been done on the influence of hybrid fiber combinations (comprising two or more distinct fibers) on the characteristics of concrete. For this reason, the researchers conducted an experimental program to determine the stress-strain relationship of 30 concrete samples reinforced with two distinct fibers (a hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol and steel fibers), with compressive strengths ranging from 40 to 120 MPa. A total of 80% of the experimental results were used to develop a new empirical stress-strain model, which was accomplished through the application of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. It was discovered in this investigation that the new stress-strain model predictions are consistent with the remaining 20% of the experimental stress-strain curves obtained. Case studies of hybrid–fiber–reinforced concrete constructions were investigated in order to better understand the behavior of such elements. The data revealed that the proposed model has the highest absolute relative error (ARE) frequencies (ARE 10%) and the lowest absolute relative error (ARE > 15%) frequencies (ARE > 15%).