Mechanical behaviour of a steel fibre reinforced concrete ground slab

Abstract

Concrete ground slabs are essential components of modern buildings and structures. This common structural element has been used in great numbers in buildings and structures of various forms and sizes throughout the world for decades. The utilisation of fibre reinforced concrete for ground slab purposes has gained significant momentum in recent years. The third edition of report TR34, published by the UK Concrete Society in 2003, has paid attention to the design of concrete ground slabs with significant emphasis on the use of steel and synthetic fibres as an alternative to fabric reinforcement. TR34 is currently under review and this paper attempts to contribute towards a better understanding of the mechanical behaviour of steel fibre reinforced concrete slabs under step loading conditions. This work reports on tests carried out at different locations (centre, edges and corners) of a 6·0 × 6·0 × 0·15 m steel fibre reinforced concrete slab. A significant difference was found between the test results and theoretical values derived using available design codes.