Abstract

In the research work presented herein a study of the cracking behavior of fiberreinforced concrete (FRC) beams is illustrated. The beams were tested in bendingand were designed according to the guidelines of the National Research Council DT-204/2006, without stirrups in the constant moment region. This choice is due to thefact that consolidated experiences, reported in the literature, show how the presenceof transverse steel reinforcement generates a localization of cracks. In the presentstudy FRC with short steel and polyester fibers were investigated. The study wasdivided into three phases: 1) design of concrete-mix, 2) destructive tests on beams,and 3) analysis of results and analytical comparisons.Scientific investigations in the field of FRC provide information in order to develop anaffordable design approach for FRC beams in bending, therefore this research workaims to provide an in-depth knowledge in the field. A comparison with the recentanalytical models provided by the National Research Council and 2010 Model Codeof CEB-FIB is shown and commented.The case study presented here shows the great importance of the beneficial role exercisedby short fibers dispersed in the cement matrix in reducing cracking of reinforced concretebeams. In particular results obtained in absence of transverse reinforcement provide neworiginal data. Stirrups are known to act as a region of discontinuity in the cement hardenedpaste, creating a cracking opening zone at the interface.Bending tests were performed on 10 beams (2 per concrete mix), deflection atquarter and mid-span were measured, the deformations in the compressed concreteand in the tensioned steel rebars were also measured in correspondence of theincreasing applied load. In correspondence of five load levels the distance, the heightand the width of the cracks was also measured over the whole length of the beams,with particular attention to the constant moment region. The steel fibers demonstrated tobe more effective than respect to polyester fibers in terms of crack arrestors. Theexperimental data were also compared to the theoretical prediction obtained by applyingthe analytical models of CNR DT-204/2006 and Model Code 2010.

Autore Pugliese

• Vasanelli Emilia

Tutti gli autori

• E.Vasanelli; F. Micelli; M.A. Aiello; S. Tundo; L. Pallara

Titolo volume/Rivista

STRUCTURAL

Anno di pubblicazione

2013

ISSN

2282-3794

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

Nessuna citazione

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Numero di citazioni Scopus

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Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Settori ERC

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Codici ASJC

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