Flexural behaviour of RC beams with steel and polypropylene fibres

Abstract

The flexural behaviours of reinforced concrete (RC) beams incorporating steel and polypropylene fibres under four-point bending test is examined in this paper. A total of nine beam specimens were designed, cast and tested under flexural loadings. Three types of concrete mixture – plain, concrete with steel fibres and concrete with polypropylene fibres – were employed in this study. Fibre content is fixed at 3% by the weight of sand as sand replacement for both mixtures containing either steel or plastic fibres. Compression tests were also conducted at 7, 14 and 28 days for twenty-seven concrete cubes prepared using the three mixtures. Comparisons of results were done in term of compressive strength, ultimate flexural load and deflection capacity. The crack pattern and failure mechanism of RC beams subjected to four-point bending are discussed. Finally, the effect of steel and polypropylene fibres on the flexural behaviour of RC beams are justified.