Abstract:
Reinforced concrete beams are a main structural element that may support and transfer loads. Their primary purpose is to resist bending and shearing. Under monotonic and cyclic loading, the shear strength of reinforced concrete elements deteriorates because the widening of flexure-shear cracks reduces the capacity for shear transfer by aggregate interlock. In order to increase the shear capacity of concrete, various kinds of shear reinforcement as well as additional materials, such as steel fibers, have been employed. However, most current standards and specifications only account for the cross-sectional area of the vertical shear reinforcement, ignoring out the potential influence of various stirrup shapes on shear strength. As a result, remains inadequately understood about how various stirrup configurations affect the shear performance of reinforced concrete beams. Additionally, relatively little has been researched about the hysteretic behavior of shear-critical beams made of steel fiber-reinforced concrete under cyclic loads.
This work fills in these gaps by examining the structural performance of steel fiber-reinforced concrete beams under both cyclic and monotonic loading scenarios using a non-linear finite element analysis performed in ABAQUS. Examining the shear strength of beams reinforced with swimmer, V-shaped, spiral, and rectangular stirrups, among others, the study investigates the use of steel fibers in shear-critical locations as a replacement to or supplement of conventional transverse reinforcements. Many verity of parameter are examined using numerical simulations, such as the steel fiber volume ratio, aspect ratio, and stirrup spacing.
The findings demonstrate that the ductility and shear strength of the beams are greatly enhanced by the steel fibers; the highest results are shown at greater fiber volumes and aspect ratios. The swimmer stirrups offer the greatest improvement in load-bearing and displacement capabilities of any stirrup type. The results of the study optimize the application of shear reinforcing techniques in reinforced concrete structures and provide essential information for the development of more durable and efficient designs.