Experimentally investigating comparison between the behavior of fibrous concrete slabs with steel stiffeners and reinforced concrete slabs under dynamic–static loads

Abstract

Abstract Three scaled concrete slabs were cast and tested till failure under drop-weight impacts and static loads, sequentially. Two of the three slabs contained 0.5% steel fiber while the third slab was constructed by using only steel bar reinforcement (i.e., ordinary reinforced concrete). The obtained data from the testing program were used to distinguish between the performance of traditional reinforced concrete and steel fiber concrete slabs under impacting and static weights and to establish a data base for the upcoming studies pertaining to this research area. The test results and observations showed that the extension of steel fiber to the ingredients of concrete was efficient in decreasing crack widths and softening local damage under dynamic and static loads. On the other hand, reinforcement was more effective in increasing slab capacity than steel stiffeners, consequently different failure modes were observed.