Design and economic implications of using steel fibers in elevated slabs of multi‐story buildings

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents a comprehensive comparison between conventional reinforced concrete (RC) and steel fiber‐reinforced concrete (SFRC) slabs. Twenty‐two‐way rectangular RC and SFRC slabs are designed with varying dimensions, aspect ratios, and boundary conditions, following verified international standards to compare the steel quantities in a unique study. SFRC slabs with larger aspect ratios and discontinuous edges required significantly higher steel percentages than square slabs, as the random three‐dimensional distribution of steel fibers suited the load distribution pattern of square slabs. To further conduct a detailed design and economic feasibility case study on a realistic building model, two 12‐story buildings are computationally designed with RC and SFRC alternatives. The results indicate that SFRC slabs required approximately 25% more steel than RC slabs due to the uniform distribution of steel fibers throughout the section. Project cost and time estimates were conducted based on standard productivity manuals and cost databases in two distinct economies, India and the USA. Despite the higher steel requirements, the 12‐story SFRC building showed time savings of 34.1 days (5.44%) and cost savings of 4.88% and 1.27% when constructed in the USA and India, respectively. The results are compared with limited available data in literature. In conclusion, the study suggests that SFRC slabs in multi‐story buildings could be more economically favorable in countries with higher labor costs.