Replacing stirrups of self-compacting concrete beams with steel fibers

Abstract

Based on the investigation of fiber influence on workability of self-compacting concrete (SCC), tests were carried out on two series of SCC rectangular simply supported beams, which were made of hooked steel fibers reinforced concrete with or without stirrups, subjected to four-point symmetrically placed vertical loads. The major test variables are steel fiber contents and stirrup ratios. The results indicate that the ultimate load significantly increases with the increase of fiber content; the addition of steel fibers in adequate percentage can change the failure mode from a brittle shear collapse into a ductile flexural mechanism. The stirrups can be partially replaced by steel fibers. The combination of stirrups and steel fibers demonstrated a positive hybrid effect on the mechanical behavior.