Performing laboratory study of the behavior of reactive powder concrete on the shear of RC deep beams by the drilling core test

Abstract

Abstract In the past decade, it has been observed that the applications of modern materials have developed a lot, especially effective reactive powder concrete (RPC), due to its superior performance properties. As a result of the superior resistance of RPC, it will give a longer construction life with less maintenance and more resistance to various environmental conditions and exhibits high-performance features such as high porosity, very high strength, and excellent corrosion resistance. The parameters studied in the present research were used to investigate the effect of maximum load, deflection, tensile and strain of concrete, first shear crack, crack pattern, and crack width. Considering the aforesaid cause and objective, one specimen of RPC RC deep beams has a rectangular cross-section of 150 mm in width, 500 mm in depth, and a total length of 1.2 m. One control specimen was tested for comparison. Moreover, 12 control specimens including cylinders and cubes were cast and tested to obtain the mechanical properties of the normal and RPC deep beams. Following the specimens’ processing, they were subjected to two concentrated load pressure tests through a hydraulic jack. Based on the results, the ultimate strength, deflection, and first shear crack capacity for the reactive powder concrete deep beam (RPCDB) have increased by 68, 10.5, and 62.5%, respectively, compared with concrete deep beam (CDB). Moreover, with respect to the width, the delay in the appearance of the first shear crack was reduced by 11 and 78%, respectively, compared with CDB at 65% of the final shear load. In addition, regarding the stress-strain results, RPCDB has increased by 118% at the maximum stress compared with CDB and in contrast, the strain scores for CDB increased by 22.5% at maximum stress compared to RPCDB.