Effects of steel fibers on shear strength and deformation behavior in short sfrc beams without stirrups by full field optical ESPI and fem methods

Abstract

The potential of utilizing steel fibers as additional or minimum shear reinforcement in RC beams has been reported widely in the literature. Few studies substantiate on the influencing factors contributing to the shear strength enhancement in steel fiber reinforced concrete beams (SFRC). To bridge this gap,

this study investigated short SFRC beams under bending-shear by optical full field and Finite Elements analysis methods. It is shown that enhanced crack strain capacity, cracking propagation and ductility contribute significantly to the shear strength and deformation improvement in SFRC beams.