Experimental study of the fibre distribution in SFRC: a comparison between CT-scanning techniques and the inductive method

Abstract

This paper proposes a reliable and comprehensive procedure for the assessment of steel fibre distribution in fibre reinforced concrete. Two techniques have been used: computed tomography (CT) scanning and inductive testing. Both techniques have been applied to study the distribution of steel fibres in specimens extracted from structural elements, carrying out a comparative analysis of the results. Firstly, the data from the CT-scanning and the inductive method have been processed to obtain the density of steel fibres and their orientation in all the specimens, before comparing the results. Then, a complementary study was carried out to validate the inductive method, using hand-made cylinders with a previously known fibre dosage and orientation. Finally, the dual energy CT technique was applied and some conclusions about its potential were discussed. Both methods exhibited comparable accuracy and precision in measuring fibre density and orientation. Considering that CT-scanning is the reference technique, this mutual agreement reinforces the reliability of the inductive method. Additionally, the authors employed the dual energy CT aiming to explore the potential of this novel technique within the domain of fibre reinforced concrete research.