Effect of steel fibers on the performance of an economical ultra‐high strength concrete

Abstract

AbstractThis study examines the use of steel fibers in enhancing the ductility of an economical ultra‐high strength concrete (UHSC). The addition of fibrous material with very small geometry in this mixture is an effective solution to improve its ductility and prevent its brittle failure which is a common characteristic of UHSC. Different mechanical properties of reinforced and unreinforced concrete (e.g., slump flow, compressive, splitting tensile strength tests, and failure modes) were taken into account to find out the efficiency of micro steel fibers. The test results showed that concrete containing 25 mm length and 0.20 mm diameter steel fibers at a volume fraction of 0.5% not only presented a reasonable improvement in ductility performance but also ensured cost‐effectiveness. The cost evaluation conducted on several existing mix designs is also introduced in this study to investigate the influence of various steel fiber contents on the total cost of concrete so that figure out the lowest budget solution. The evaluation shows the high price of fiber reinforcement in which an addition of steel fibers by 5% volume could increase 7% of the total concrete cost.