Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) are a new generation of concrete that have demonstrated superior performance in relation to normal-strength concrete (NSC). This study aims to integrate the mechanical data proposed in the literature (obtained from small-scale experimental tests) and use them to create a consistent finite element analysis (FEA) model for UHPC and UHPFRC structures and comparing them with NSC models.
An FEA application with Abaqus software was used on real-scale beams, and the results were compared with NSC to assess their load-bending equivalence.
UHPC–UHPFRC structures reduce total concrete consumption by 39.0%–56.4% when compared to NSC, resulting in a dead load reduction of 1.6–2.2 times. The use of UHPC–UHPFRC led to a reduction in total steel consumption (reinforcement) by 56.7%. The ultimate limit state of the beams is not affected by using steel fibers in UHPC structures.
The mechanical equivalence of these elements is not well known and the parametric data to create FEA models are unclear.
