Effect of Using Short Fiber Composite Materials on RC Slabs under Static Loading

The advanced composite materials are increasingly being used in engineering applications, especially for concrete structures. One of the new advanced composite materials is short fiber composite materials (SFCM), which have been one of the most exciting and promising technologies in materials/structural engineering. The behavior of SFCM of RC slabs under static loading, despite its importance, has received relatively little attention. One of the objectives of this study is to determine the behavior of RC slabs using short fiber composite materials under static loading. In this paper, special attention is given to (1) development of short fiber composite materials while maintaining good mechanical properties such as flexural strength, ductility, and toughness, and (2) development of static loading of RC slabs using SFCM. This paper presents a complete description of the experimental investigation carried out under static loading of RC slabs containing either 0.5 % or 1.0 % by volume of either polypropylene fibers (PF) or steel fibers (SF). All slabs are reinforced with constant amount of steel bars and its dimensions are 150 cm length by 40 cm width and 12 cm thick in plan. Experimental results of large-scale model of RC slabs subjected to four point loads are presented for the mid-span deflections, crack width, cracks propagation, first crack load, and ultimate load capacity, under static loading.