Search Results (3)

To determine the validity of steel fiber reinforced expanded-shale lightweight concrete (SFRELC) applied in structures, the shear behavior of SFRELC structural components needs to be understood. In this paper, four-point bending tests were carried out on reinforced SFRELC beams with stirrups and a varying volume fraction of steel fiber from 0.4% to 1.6%. The shear cracking force, shear crack width and distribution pattern, mid-span deflection, and failure modes of test beams were recorded. Results indicate that the shear failure modes of reinforced SFRELC beams with stirrups were modified from brittle to ductile and could be transferred to the flexure mode with the increasing volume fraction of steel fiber. The coupling of steel fibers with stirrups contributed to the shear cracking force and the shear capacity provided by the SFRELC, and it improved the distribution of shear cracks. At the limit loading level of beams in building structures at serviceability, the maximum width of shear cracks could be controlled within 0.3 mm and 0.2 mm with the volume fraction of steel fiber increased from 0.4% to 0.8%. Finally, the formulas are proposed for the prediction of shear-cracking force, shear crack width, and shear capacity of reinforced SFRELC beams with stirrups. Full article

Concerning the structural applications of steel fiber reinforced expanded-shales lightweight concrete (SFRELC), the present study focuses on the flexural fatigue performance of SFRELC superposed beams with initial static-load cracks. Nine SFRELC superposed beams were fabricated with the SFRELC depth varying from 50% to 70% of the whole sectional depth, and the volume fraction of steel fiber ranged from 0.8% to 1.6%. The fatigue load exerted on the beams was a constant amplitude sinusoid with a frequency of 10 Hz and a fatigue characteristic value of 0.10; the upper limit was taken as the load corresponded to the maximum crack width of 0.20 mm at the barycenter of the longitudinal rebars. The results showed that with the increase of SFRELC depth and the volume fraction of steel fiber, the fatigue life of the test beams was prolonged with three altered failure modes due to the crush of conventional concrete in the compression zone and/or the fracture of the tensile rebar; the failure pattern could be more ductile by the prevention of fatigue fracture by the longitudinal tensile rebar when the volume fraction of steel fiber was 1.6% and the reduction of crack growth and concrete strain in the compression zone; the fatigue life of test beams was sensitive to the upper-limit of the fatigue load, a short fatigue life appeared from the higher stress level and larger stress amplitude of the longitudinal rebar due to the higher upper-limit of the fatigue load. The methods for predicting the stress level, the stress amplitude of the longitudinal tensile rebar, and the degenerated flexural stiffness of SFRELC superposed beams with fatigue life are proposed. With the optimal composites of the SFRELC depth ratio and the volume fraction of steel fiber, the controllable failure of reinforced SFRELC superposed beams could be a good prospect with the trend curves of fatigue flexural stiffness. Full article

In this paper, for a wide application of high-performance steel fiber reinforced expanded-shale lightweight concrete (SFRELC) in structures, the shear behavior of reinforced SFRELC beams without web reinforcements was experimentally investigated under a four-point bending test. Twenty-six beams were fabricated considering the influencing parameters of SFRELC strength, shear-span to depth ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and the volume fraction of the steel fiber. The statistical analyses based on the foundational design principles and the experimental results are made based on the shear cracking resistance, the shear crack distribution and width, the mid-span deflection, the patterns of shear failure, and the shear capacity of the specimens. This confirms the effective strengthening of steel fibers on the shear performance of reinforced SFRELC beams without web reinforcements. Based on the modifications to the formulas of reinforced conventional concrete, lightweight-aggregate concrete or steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams, and the validation against the experimental findings, formulas are proposed for the prediction of shear cracking resistance and shear capacity of reinforced SFRELC beams without web reinforcements. Finally, formulas are discussed for the reliable design of the shear capacity of reinforced SFRELC beams without web reinforcements. Full article