The composite effect of steel fibres and stirrups on the shear behaviour of beams using self-consolidating concrete

Based on the investigation of the influence of steel fibre on the workability of fresh self-consolidating concrete (SCC), this paper presents the experimental results carried out on a series of simply supported SCC rectangular beams, using steel fiber reinforcement with and without stirrups, and subjected to four-point symmetrically placed vertical loads. The major test variables are the steel fibre content and stirrup ratios. The current study on the shear strength of conventional reinforced concrete (RC) beams verifies the shear strength of SCC beams with steel fibres. The investigation indicates that the shear strength significantly increases by increasing the fibre content; the addition of steel fibres in an adequate percentage can change the failure mode from a brittle shear collapse into a ductile flexural mechanism. The stirrups can be partially replaced by steel fibres. The combination of steel fibres and stirrups demonstrates a positive composite effect on the mechanical behaviour. The shear strength recorded experimentally is compared with the value obtained from the proposed formula, and the correlation is satisfactory.