Steel Fiber Use as Shear Reinforcement on I-Shaped UHP-FRC Beams

Abstract

In the presented paper, the effectiveness of steel fiber use on the shear and flexure behaviors of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) beams and the feasibility of steel fibers in place of shear reinforcement were investigated experimentally. In this framework, a total of four I-shaped UHPC beams were produced for a high tensile reinforcement ratio of 2.2%. While two of them were non-fiber UHPC beams with and without the shear reinforcement to show the contribution of steel fibers, the remaining beams were made from the ultra-high performance steel fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) having the short straight fibers with 1.5% and 2.5% by volume. The shear and flexural parameters, such as the load–deflection response, cracking pattern, failure mode, deflection, and curvature ductilities were discussed based on the four-point loading test results. While the reference beam without fiber and shear reinforcement failed by the shear with a sudden load drop before the yielding of reinforcement and produced no deflection capability, the inclusion of steel fibers to the UHPC matrix transformed the failure mode from shear to flexure through the fibers’ crack-bridging ability. It might be deduced that the moderate level of steel fiber use in the UHP-FRC beams may take the place of shear reinforcement in practical applications.