Geopolymer concrete is a sustainable alternative to conventional Portland cement-based concrete, utilizes industrial by-products like fly ash and slag. Renowned for its reduced carbon footprint and exceptional durability, geopolymer concrete is gaining global recognition in eco-friendly construction practices. Steel composite reinforced geopolymer concrete beams combine the strength of steel with the sustainability of geopolymer concrete, offering a sturdy structural solution. This collaborative approach results in a composite material with excellent crack resistance and durability, harnessing the advantageous properties of both steel and geopolymer concrete. These beams present a promising option in construction by striking a balance between structural performance and environmental considerations through the incorporation of geopolymer technology. The focus of the current study is to investigate the impact of steel connectors on the flexural behavior of composite reinforced geopolymer concrete beams that have transverse web opening through experimental methods. The experimental program involves casting four geopolymer beams, with one being a traditional geopolymer-reinforced concrete beam (Control). The remaining three specimens are composite reinforced geopolymer concrete beams, each featuring a bottom 5 mm steel plate with six, twelve, and eighteen connectors near each support. The beams share common dimensions, with a total length of 1600mm, a height of 250mm, and a width of 180mm. The results showed that increasing the number of connectors near supports increased the resulted flexural behavior of beams. Such connectors increased the first crack load from 6.67% to 42.22% while the service load increased from 16.22% to 36.20%. the load carrying capacity was also increased from 12.00% to 24.80%. Finally, the mode of failure was moved from traditional tension failure to concrete crushing.
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