Flexural Behavior of RC Light-Weight Beams Containing Steel Fiber

Abstract

                The purpose of the experimental research is to investigate the impact of incorporating steel fiber into lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) by combining the addition of three volume fractions (Vf) of end-hooked steel fiber (0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%) as a layer starting from the bottom fiber of the beam with three thicknesses (20%, 30%, and 40%) of the beam’s height. The beams that were evaluated as simply supported beams under two-point loads included a reference beam that did not include any steel fibers as well as five extra beams that had steel fibers in varying volume fractions (Vf). Flexure failure was incorporated into the beams throughout the construction process to guarantee that this would be the mechanism of failure. In comparison to the concrete used as a reference, the findings showed that an increase in the volume fractions (Vf) of steel fibre led to an increase in both the compressive strength and the density of the concrete. The density, compressive strength, split tensile strength, ultimate load, and ductility of the concrete all rose up to 7.68%, 25.74%, 92.71%, 79.1%, and 12.96%, respectively, with the volume fractions of steel fibre in the mixes increasing by 1.5%.