Behavior of High Strength Hybrid Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams under Monotonic and Repeated Loading

This study presents the experimental and analytical investigation of the behavior of high strength hybrid reinforced concrete deep beams under monotonic and repeated two-point load. The idea of hybrid in this work is different. Two types of concrete were used in beam but not in cross-section. The first type was the Fibrous High Strength Concrete (FHSC) at shear spans for enhancing shear capacity against cracking due to diagonal strut failure (by adding Steel Fiber (SF) in that regions), while the second type was the Conventional High Strength Concrete (CHSC) at the mid-portion between the two strengthened shear spans.

The experimental work included the casting and testing of ten deep beams. Five among the beams were tested under monotonic loading (control beams) and other beams were tested under repeated loading at the level of 75% of ultimate load of control beams. The effect of some selected parameters as the type of load, the hybrid and non-hybrid beams, the compressive strength of concrete (fʹc) (normal and high) and the amount of web reinforcement (ρw) were studied in terms of crack patterns, ultimate load and load versus midspan deflection.

From the experimental test results, when beam cast with fibrous with SF of 1% concrete along entire length, the ultimate load of 10.96% increased as compared with hybrid beam. And it was observed to increase as much as 32.78% as compared with beam cast from conventional high strength concrete under monotonic loading. Under repeated loading of 75% control ultimate load, the ultimate load for beam cast with fibrous concrete along entire length increased as much as 15.32% as compared with hybrid beam. And it was seen to increase 36.17% as compared with the beam cast from conventional high strength concrete. The percentage increase in ultimate load of hybrid (SF ratio 1%) deep beam cast with high strength concrete became 97.3% as compared with the identical beam cast with normal strength concrete under monotonic loading and (98.21%) under repeated loading (load 75% control beam load). The percentage increase as ultimate load for hybrid beam cast with SF ratio 1% was 9.62% as compared with hybrid beam with SF ratio 0%. As the web reinforcement increased from 0 to 0.004 and from 0 to 0.006, the percentage increased in the ultimate load as 28.07% and 57.89%, under monotonic loading as 26.14% and 59.09%, under repeated loading.

Then, Strut and Tie model (STM) procedures were used to analyze the experimentally tested hybrid deep beams under monotonic loading of the present investigation. Comparison of experimental results was made with corresponding predicted values using the STM procedure presented of ACI 318R-14 Code and with other procedures