Review on different testing methods and factors affecting fracture properties of fiber reinforced cementitious composites

Fiber reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC) have been widely used in the field of civil engineering in terms of high-performance building material. The fracture mechanics has been generally considered as an effective way to perform the stability analyses of cracks and safety assessment of concrete structures. This review article first introduces several theoretical models of fracture mechanics and different testing methods of fracture parameters for FRCC. Then the factors affecting fracture properties of FRCC are reviewed respectively, including fiber type, fiber content (Vf), water-to-cement ratio (w/c), maximum aggregate particle size (dmax), aggregate type, initial crack length (a0), high temperature and freeze–thaw cycle times. Furthermore, the reinforcement mechanism of fiber to improve fracture properties of FRCC is discussed, and future work is recommended. This review provides fundamentals on measuring fracture properties, also is to understand the fracture behaviors of FRCC.