Title: Performance and Cracking Behavior of Reinforced Beams Cast with Self-Consolidating Concrete

Author(s): Mohammed Sonebi, Adil K. Tamimi, and Peter J. M. Bartos

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 100

Issue: 6

Appears on pages(s): 492-500

Keywords: beam; compressive strength; concrete; cracking; deflection; load; workability

DOI: 10.14359/12956

Date: 11/1/2003

Abstract:
This study was part of a large-scale experimental program on the Brite-Euram research project: “Rational Production and Improved Working Environment through Using Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC).” The University of Paisley was responsible for a major part of Task 4 on the investigation of in-place properties and their variations in practical structural elements cast with SCC. Structural performance of full-scale beams (200 x 300 x 3800 mm) cast using ordinary concrete and SCC with two configurations of reinforcement bars were investigated. A fiber beam cast with SCC containing steel fibers was also tested. SCC and ordinary concretes having standard compressive cube strengths of 35 MPa (Class C35) and 60 MPa (Class C60) for housing and civil engineering applications, respectively, were used to cast a total of eight beams. One beam of each pair of beams was tested in flexure to determine the load-deflection capacity; the second one provided core samples to determine the uniformity of the distribution of compressive strength along the length of beams. The core test results were expressed as estimated in-place cube strength in accordance with British standard practice and were compared with strengths obtained from standard cubes cured. In general, the in-place compressive strengths of SCC were closer to standard cube strength than those of ordinary concrete. The distribution of in-place properties along the beams was found to be uniform for both SCC and ordinary concrete, and the maximum strength difference was less than 7%. At service load, there were more and wider cracks with greater penetration with the reference mixture than with the SCC of Class C60. The mode of failure and load deflection response of the beams cast with SCC and ordinary concrete were similar. For concrete Class C60, it was observed that the ultimate moment capacity of the SCC beam was comparable with the reference beam and the maximum deflection of the SCC beam was slightly higher than that of the reference beam.