The straining behavior of the shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers-reinforced mortar was investigated in this study by the monotonic compressive and cyclic compressive tests. Two types of SMA fibers with a crimped and dog-bone shape were used due to the high pullout resistance capacity, which guaranteed that the fibers and mortar matrix were composited well. The plain mortar was mixed with two different compositions to create the higher elastic modulus mortar matrix and the lower elastic modulus mortar matrix compared with the elastic modulus of SMA fibers. The results of the experimental test indicated that the non-heated SMA fibers could control the strains in both elastic and plastic phases; in which, the crimped fiber was more effective in precracking due to the higher composite capacity while the dog-bone-shaped fiber had a higher effect in post-cracking. After heating, the dog-bone-shaped fiber slipped more than that of the crimped fiber; thus, the heated crimped fiber was more effective than the heated dog-bone-shaped fiber in controlling strains after cracking. The effect of SMA fibers on the elastic modulus depended on both the elastic modulus of mortar matrix and the property of SMA fibers. In the plastic phase, the fibers were effective on reducing the speed of damage in monotonic case. An equation using reinforcing index was suggested for damage evolution in the cyclic case.
Keywords: SMA fiber-reinforced mortar; crimped fiber; dog-bone-shaped fiber; load type effect; straining behavior.