In this research, flexural performance was evaluated using macro-synthetic fiber-reinforced concrete (MFRC) in structural deck plates. Material tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the MFRC, and the flexural strength evaluation was conducted in two experiments, positive and negative moment tests. In the material test results, compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of the MFRC were increased compared with normal concrete. Flexural tensile tests showed that, after achieving maximum strength, the deck plates had sufficient residual strength until fracture. Structural tests showed that flexural strength and cracking load of all specimens increased according to macro synthetic fiber dosage. According to the experimental results, we proposed a flexural strength model of a steel deck plate containing macro synthetic fiber. The model showed greater accuracy than the current standard compared with the experimental results. In addition, since it was confirmed that the MFRC steel decks had greater flexural stiffness until yielding, it will be necessary to quantitatively evaluate the effect of MFRC on the effective flexural stiffness of steel decking in future studies.
17 April 2025 in International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
This study aimed to evaluate the shear friction strength mechanism of monolithically and separately cast concrete members using steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC). To achieve this, a total of 30 push-off tests were conducted with variables such as volume fraction of steel fiber, clamping force of shear-friction reinforcement, and concrete compressive strength. The experimental results showed that the inclusion of steel fibers significantly increased the shear friction strength of monolithically cast concrete. Similarly, the strength improvement in the separately cast specimens was notable with the addition of steel fibers. Notably, as the steel fiber content increased, the concrete contribution also improved, which was attributed to the enhancement of dowel action by the shear-friction reinforcement and the increased tensile strength of the concrete. When comparing the experimental results with current design standards, Eurocode2 provided the most accurate predictions, suggesting that the tensile strength of concrete increased by steel fibers can lead to more precise predictions of shear friction strength.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the structural performance of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) coupling beams. Reversed cyclic loading tests were performed with full-scale specimens. The main variable for the tests was the volume fraction ratio of the steel fibers. The results showed that the maximum strength was increased by about 11% with 1% of steel fibers incorporated, and about 24% when the ratio of mixed fibers was doubled to 2%. Because numerous microcracks occurred, decreased crack width due to the bridge effect was observed with the steel fiber reinforcement. Increased diagonal tension crack angles and energy dissipation also appeared as the volume fraction of steel fibers increased. The contribution of shear to the total deformation was decreased while the contribution of rocking was increased as steel fibers were added. Considering the results of these experiments, it can be concluded that steel fiber reinforcement affects the deformation of coupling beams in various ways, and should be considered when estimating the effective stiffness of such beams when SFRC is introduced.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the structural performance of composite deck slabs containing macro-synthetic fibers. after a fire by proposing a deflection estimation method for non-fireproof structural decks. Therefore, this study evaluated the fire resistance performance and deflection of deck slabs mixed with macro-synthetic fibers. Afterward, the deflection estimation method considering the thermal characteristics of concrete and deck plates was proposed. A material test was first conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of concrete mixed with macro-synthetic fibers. This test found that the compressive strength and elasticity modulus of concrete mixed with macro-synthetic fibers was greater than that of general concrete. A flexural tensile test confirmed that residual strength was maintained after the maximum strength was achieved. The fire resistance of the deck slab was adequate even when a fire-resistant coating was not applied. The internal temperature was lowest for the specimen with macro-synthetic fibers. Deflection was evaluated using previously published equations and standards. The deflection evaluation confirmed that the temperature distribution should be applied differently in the estimation method that uses the thermal load of the deck slab.