Rationale

As documented in Section 3.3 of ACI 544.4R-18, “Guide to Design with Fiber-Reinforced Concrete,” a notched beam can be used for determining the flexural performance of FRC in which crack width is measured and plotted vs. load. Currently, a European test (BS EN 14651) is used and cited. Even though C1609 will not be modified to plot crack width (CMOD) vs load, a notched specimen typically results in more consistent results with less scatter and improved COV values. This provides more reliable design strengths for the industry. The test will be conducted very similarly to the current practice (four point bending and same beam size). The only difference would be saw-cutting a notch. It is at the discretion of the laboratory to additionally measure CMOD