6533b82cfe1ef96bd128ed70

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Nonlinear Analysis of Beams Reinforced in Shear with Stirrups and Steel Fibers

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description

The modified compression field theory (MCFT) and the disturbed stress field model (DSFM) are often used to predict the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete structures. This study presents several extensions of the MCFT and DSFM to the case of high-strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete beams subjected to transverse loads. Experimental four-point bending tests were conducted on 12 concrete beams with a different percentage of fibers and/or stirrups. To validate the updates introduced in the analytical models, numerical analysis was performed using nonlinear finite element software. Modeling of the post-peak softening branch of the tensile and compressive constitutive curves of fibrous concrete was included in the MCFT-based analytic procedures to capture the structural behavior of the specimens. The numerical results indicate that the model is effective in predicting the structural response of both members reinforced with steel fibers only and beams with stirrups and steel fibers as transverse reinforcement. The experimental and numerical results highlighted the capacity of steel fibers to partially substitute the stirrups as shear reinforcement in beams. Coupled transverse reinforcement, provided by both stirrups and steel fibers, can optimize cost and structural performance considerations.