Empirical approach for the residual flexural tensile strength of steel fiber-reinforced concrete based on notched three-point bending tests

Abstract

When designing steel fiber-reinforced concrete, for example, according to Model Code 2010, the residual flexural strength values must be specified as fundamental properties. It is often difficult to establish the relationship between residual flexural strength values and the required dosage of steel fibers depending on the type of steel fibers and the concrete quality. For an estimation of the presumably necessary dosage of steel fibers, various empirical approaches exist for the approximate determination of the residual flexural strength values, which, however, are based on different tests and have been almost exclusively been derived on the basis of few or “own” test results of the respective institute. For this reason, the validity of the respective approximation approach is often limited. Using the bending beam database “Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete”, selected approaches were systematically analyzed and an improved approach for determining the residual flexural strength values of steel fiber-reinforced concrete was developed.