Experimental and theoretical investigation on the shear of steel fibre reinforced concrete beams

A total of nine beams have been tested to investigate the influence of fibr e reinforcement on the mechanical behaviour of reinforced concrete beams in shear. The major test variables are the volume fraction of steel fibres an d the ratios of stirrups to the required shear reinforcement. The test resu lts show that the first crack shear strength increases significantly as fib re content increases and the improvement in ultimate shear strength is also achieved. The present study indicates that fibre reinforcement can reduce the amount of shear stirrups required and that the combination of fibres an d stirrups may meet strength and ductility requirements. An analytical meth od to predict the shear strength of reinforced concrete beams containing st eel fibres is proposed and comparisons made with the present test data as w ell as other data. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.