FLEXURAL ANALYSIS O F REINFORCED CONCRETE

BEAMS CONTAINING STEEL FIBERS

By Byung Hwan Oh, 1 Member, ASCE

ABSTRACT: The flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams containing steel

fibers is investigated in the present study. An experimental program was set up
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and nine reinforced concrete beams have been tested, including two series of singly
reinforced concrete beams and one series of doubly reinforced concrete beams.
The fiber contents of reinforced concrete beams for each series were 0%, 1%, and
2% by volume. The load was applied in four-point flexural loading condition. The
deflections and the steel and concrete strains were automatically measured at the
various locations. The crack widths and crack spacings at each loading step were
observed during the loading process. It was found from these measurements that
the crack widths increase almost linearly with the increase of steel stress and the
crack widths at the same loading stages are greatly reduced as the content of steel
fibers increases. The present study also indicates that the ductility and the ultimate
resistance are remarkably enhanced due to the addition of steel fibers. The design
implication of fiber-reinforced concrete beams is also discussed. A method for
incorporating fiber effects in the flexural analysis of singly reinforced concrete
beams is redrived, slightly modified and used to analyze the singly reinforced
concrete beams. A new method to analyze doubly reinforced concrete beams con-
taining steel fibers is derived and proposed for future use. It was found from this
study that the neglect of fiber contribution may considerably underestimate the
flexural capacity of fiber-reinforced concrete beams. The present study allows more
realistic analysis and design of reinforced concrete beams containing steel fibers.

INTRODUCTION

Considerable efforts are still being made in every part of the world to
develop new construction materials. Fiber-reinforce concrete is one of the
most promising new construction materials. Many studies have been carried
out to explore the mechanical properties and strength characteristics of fiber-
reinforced concrete. Most studies, however, have so far been confined to
the investigation of plain fiber-reinforced concrete beams without main steel
reinforcements (Cox 1952; Ramakrishan et al. 1981; Romualdi and Mandel
1964; Shah and Rangan 1971; Sood and Gupta 1987; Swamy et al. 1987).
Since the application of fibers to reinforced concrete structural members
would be one of the major areas of fiber use in structural engineering, it is
necessary to investigate the effects of fiber reinforcement on conventional
reinforced concrete members (Craig 1987; Henager and Doherty 1976; Kor-
meling et al. 1980; Swamy et al. 1981; Swamy and Bahia 1985).
The purpose of the present study is, therefore, to explore the mechanical
behavior of reinforced concrete beams containing steel fibers. To this end,
an experimental program was set up and nine fiber-reinforced concrete
beams have been tested. The test series included six singly reinforced con-
crete beams and three doubly reinforced concrete beams. The fiber contents
of reinforced concrete beams for each series were varied from 0% to 2 %

'Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Seoul Nat. Univ., Kwanak-ku, Seoul, 151-
742, Korea.
Note. Discussion open until March 1,1993. To extend the closing date one month,
a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager of Journals. The manuscript
for this paper was submitted for review and possible' publication on June 4, 1991.
This paper is part of the Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 118,No. 10, October,
1992. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9445/92/0010-2821/$!.00 + $.15 per page. Paper No. 1970.

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J. Struct. Eng., 1992, 118(10): 2821-2835

 by volume. The various properties were measured during the tests in order
to explore the mechanical characteristics of fiber-reinforced concrete beams.
Size effects were not investigated nor considered in developing the ex-
perimental program and it is not known at this time if size effects are
important in fiber-reinforced concrete beams. Therefore, further studies
may be necessary to extrapolate the observations and conclusions of this
study to full-size actual beams.
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TESTS ON FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS

Test Materials

Concrete
The water-cement ratio used for the present test concrete was wlc =
0.40, and the value of slump was about 18 mm. Ordinary type-1 portland
cement was used, and the finess modulus of fine aggregate was 2.3. The
specific gravities of the fine and coarse aggregates were 2.52 and 2.60,
respectively. The maximum size of coarse aggregate was about 15 mm. To
improve the workability of the concrete, a small amount of superplasticizer
was used. Table 1 shows the basic mix proportions for the present concrete
materials.

Steel Fibers
The steel fibers used in the present study were round and straight fibers.
The diameter and length of the fibers were df = 0.7 mm and lf = 40 mm,
respectively, and, thus, the aspect ratio was 57. The fiber contents were
varied from 0% to 2% to explore the effect of fiber addition in the reinforced
concrete beams.

Steel Reinforcements
The strengths of longitudinal reinforcements were higher than those of
stirrup reinforcements. The strength characteristics of main bars, stirrups,
and steel fibers are summarized in Table 2. All bars are deformed and the
sizes of the bars are shown in Table 3.

TABLE 1. Mix Proportions of Test Concrete (kg/m3)

Coarse
Cement Water Fine aggregate aggregate Superplasticizer
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
524 215 600 987 6.29

TABLE 2. Strength Properties of Main Bars, Stirrups, and Steel Fibers (MPa)
Materials Yield strength Ultimate strength Elastic modulus
0) (2) (3) (4)
Main bars 420 545 2.0 x 105
Stirrup 359 534 2.0 x 105
Steel fiber 1,303 1,784 2.0 x 105

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 TABLE 3. Section Properties of Test Beams
Fiber con-
Test Reinforcement ratios Reinforcement area tents (Vf)
series (P) (A;) (cm2) Test beam number (%)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
1 0.4 P „ 2.53 (2D13) S1V0, S1V1, S1V2 0, 1,2
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2 0.65 p6 3.97 (2D16) S2V0, S2V1, S2V2 0, 1,2

3 0.90Pi(p' = 0.0085) 5.73 (2D19), AS = D2V0, D2V1, D2V2 0, 1,2
1.43 (2D 10)

3 g s g , d A

i i

s g T? S T^r

• • St««l Strain Ga^

i ^ ^ Concrat* Strain Gnsa
® Dial Cast

FIG. 1. Schematic Diagram for Present Test Beams Including Measurement Lo-
cations

Design and Fabrication of Test Members

Rectangular reinforced concrete beams, including two series of singly
reinforced concrete beams and one series of doubly reinforced concrete
beams were designed according to the appropriate ACI design code ("De-
sign" 1988). The overall dimensions of the test beams were the same for
all test members, i.e., beam width b = 12 cm, beam height h = 18 cm,
effective depth d = 14 cm, d' = 4 cm, and beam length = 200 cm. The
span length for the test beams was / = 180 cm.
The typical section properties of test beams are summarized in Table 3.
The main test variables were the amount of longitudinal reinforcement as
well as the fiber content in the beams. The ratios of tensile reinforcements
for the singly reinforced concrete beams are 0.4p6 and 0.65p6, respectively,
where p6 represents the balanced reinforcement ratio. The tensile and com-
pressive reinforcement ratios for the doubly reinforced concrete beams are
p = 0.90pfc and p' = 0.0085, respectively. The reason for different tensile
reinforcements is to investigate the effect of fiber reinforcements on the
mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete beams. To prevent the
premature shear failure of the test beams, the vertical stirrups were installed
in accordance with the design code (see Fig. 1).
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 Careful attention was paid during the mixing process to have the fibers
well distributed. The test beams were cured in a wet condition. In addition
to the test beams shown in Table 3, the standard test cylinders and beams
made of plain fiber concrete were prepared to measure the compressive
strengths, splitting tensile strengths, and flexural strengths of fiber-rein-
forced concrete.
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Test Methods
The test beams were loaded in four-point (or three-point) loading con-
dition. The schematic diagram for the present test arrangement is shown in
Fig. 1. The load was raised step-by-step up to failure. The various quantities
were measured at each loading step, including the deflections, crack pat-
terns, crack widths, crack spacings, and strains for steel and concrete. Fig.
1 also shows the arrangements for the measurements of various values.
The deflections at the midpoint, quarter-point, and loaded: point were
measured at each loading step with precision dial gauges.
The steel strains for the tensile and compressive reinforcements were
measured at the mid- and quarter-points, and the strains of stirrups at the
critical sections were also obtained. The concrete strains at the midspan and
at the supports were also measured.
The crack widths were measured at the tensile face with precision optical
gauges. The crack spacings and crack patterns were also observed during
each loading step. All measurements were automatically measured and stored
in the data-acquisition system.

STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE

Compressive Strength
The compressive strengths of test cylinders were measured for the various
cases of fiber contents. Fig. 2 shows the relative strength of concrete in
compression due to the addition of steel fibers. The strength increase was
about 17% when the fibers are introduced into concrete up to 2% by volume.

Flexural Strength
The present tests indicate that the flexural strength of fiber-reinforced
concrete is greatly enhanced due to the addition of steel fibers. The rate of
increase of flexural strength was about 60% when the fiber content was
increased to 2% (see Fig. 3). One more important feature in flexural be-
havior is that the fiber-reinforced concrete shows a remarkable ductility and
energy absorption capacity.

Splitting Tensile Strength

Fig. 4 shows the increase of tensile strengths due to steel fibers. It can
be seen that the splitting tensile strength may be increased more than twice
at the 2% fiber volume. Table 4 summarizes the test results on various
strengths for fiber-reinforced concrete. Fig. 5 shows a comparison of various
relative strengths for various fiber contents. It is seen from this figure that
the rate of strength increase due to fiber addition is greatest in splitting
tensile strength. This means that the steel fibers greatly enhance the tensile
properties of concrete and improve the resistance to cracking.
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 Compressive Strength
O : Kater Curing
• ' Moisture Curing
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°'9o.o 1.0

FIBER CONTENTS,Vf , « ]

FIG. 2. Relative Increase of Compressive Strength Due to Fiber Addition

Flexural Strength
O : Knter Curing
D : Moisture Curing

1.D 2.0

FIBER CONTENTS,Vt , ( Z )

FIG. 3. Relative Increase of Flexural Strength Due to Fiber Addition

FLEXURAL BEHAVIOR OF STEEL-FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS

Load-Deflection Behavior
The load-deflection curves were automatically generated during the tests.
Fig. 6 shows the load-deflection curves for series-1 singly reinforced concrete
beams. Fig. 6 indicates that the ultimate resistance of fiber-reinforced con-
crete beams is remarkably increased with an increase of fiber contents. The
rate of increase of maximum load capacity reaches up to 50% for the fiber
content of 2%. The ductility and energy absorption capacity are also con-
siderably enhanced with the addition of steel fibers. This salient feature is
the main advantage of fiber-reinforced concrete and can be applied to earth-
quake-resistant structures.
Fig. 7 depicts the load-deflection behavior for the series-2 singly rein-
forced concrete beams that have slightly higher reinforcement ratios, i.e.,
p = 0.65p6. Fig. 8 shows the load-deflection curves obtained from the doubly
reinforced concrete beams. It can be seen from these figures that the effect
of steel fibers is more pronounced for the case of lightly reinforced concrete
beams. The increase of load-carrying capacity due to fiber addition for the
moderately reinforced fiber concrete beams (Fig. 7) is less than that of
lightly reinforced concrete beams. This may be due to the fact that the steel
fibers play an important role to curb the crack occurrence and exhibit con-
siderable resistance to tensile cracking of concrete.
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 Split Tensile Strength
O I Knter Curing
• : MoiaUire Oiring
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1.0 2.0
FIBER CONTENTS, Vf , « l

FIG. 4. Relative Increase of Splitting-Tensile Strength Due to Fiber Addition

O : Compressive Strength
Q : Split Tensile Strength
a : f lemjeal Strength

;= 1.5

0.5
0.
FIBER CONTENTS, V, , C/.)

FIG. 5. Relative Increase of Various Strength Properties for Fiber-Reinforced Con-

crete

TABLE 4. Strength of Concrete for Various Fiber Contents (MPa)

Strengths
Compressive Splitting tensile
Fiber content (%) strength Flexural strength strength
(D (2) (3) (4)
0 40.3 7.99 3.07
1 43.0 9.73 5.41
2 47.8 12.37 8.10

Strain Behavior
The steel and concrete strains were automatically measured at each load-
ing step for the present tests. Fig. 9 shows the relation between load and
concrete strain for the moderately reinforced concrete beam. The increase
of ductility and load-carrying capacity due to fiber addition is again seen in
this figure. The concrete strain here is the strain at the extreme compression
fiber of the midspan. Fig. 10 depicts the load-concrete strain behavior for
the doubly reinforced concrete beams.
The relation between concrete compressive strain and tensile steel stress
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 70.1

£0.1

50.0

1 40.0
oT
S" 30.0
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20.0

10.0

0.0 5^0 i O ilTo 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0

DEFLECTION, P , (mm)

FIG. 6. Load-Deflection Curves for Series-1 Singly Reinforced Concrete Beams

(P = 0.4p„)

100.0
p - O.S5£ ,/ta - 3.972crf
30.0

80.0

70.0

S GO.O

oT 50.0

3 40.0
I

30.0

20.0

10.0

'o.o ITo io.o isTo 2oTo 25.0

>mi
30.0 35.0 40.0

DEFLECTION, S, (mm)

FIG. 7. Load-Deflection Curves for Series-2 Singly Reinforced Concrete Beams

(p = 0.65Pfc)

at midspan is shown in Fig. 11. The concrete strain is generally reduced due
to steel fibers at the same steel stress.

CRACK WIDTHS, CRACK SPACINGS, AND CRACK PATTERNS

Crack Widths
In addition to the load-deformation behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete
beams, the cracking characteristics have been also observed during the tests.
The maximum crack widths at each loading step were measured with pre-
cision optical crack-width gauges. Fig. 12 shows the diagram of crack width
for moderately reinforced concrete beams. Fig. 12 indicates that the crack
width increases almost linearly with the increase of steel stress. This phe-
nomenon is very similar to the trend of ordinary (conventional) reinforced
concrete beams. We can see, however, from this figure, that the crack width
at the same loading stage (i.e., same steel stress) is remarkably reduced
when the fiber amounts in the beams increase. The crack widths at the steel
stress of 200 MPa are about 0.22 mm for the concrete beam without steel
fibers and 0.12 mm for the concrete beam with 2% steel fibers. This means
that the steel fibers act as crack arresters and give great benefit to control
the crack propagation.
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.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0

DEFLECTION, <T, (mm)

FIG. 8. Load-Deflection Curves for Series-3 Doubly Reinforced Concrete Beams

120.0
/ > - 0.65y?,As « 3.972 en

100.0

_ 80.0

20.0

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 S.O

CONCRETE STRAIN, l u (xE-3)

FIG. 9. Load-Concrete Strain Curves for Series-2 Test Beams

Fig. 13 shows the crack widths as a function of steel stress for various
doubly reinforced fiber concrete beams. The reduction of crack width is
also seen in this figure for fiber-reinforced concrete beams.

Crack Spacing
The crack spacings of the present test beams have also been observed at
each loading step. The crack spacing here represents the average spacing
of cracks that occur in the pure bending region. Fig. 14 shows the test results
of average crack spacing in terms of main steel stress. It can be seen from
this figure that the crack spacing at the same steel stress is reduced as the
amount of fibers in the beam increases. This fact is also depicted in Fig. 15
for doubly reinforced concrete beams. The decrease of crack spacing at the
same loading stage for fiber-reinforced concrete beams indicates that the
fibers play a very effective role in curbing the opening of cracks and con-
tribute to the distributed cracking. This desirable characteristic is the main
advantage of the fiber-reinforced concrete.

Crack Patterns
It is also very important to investigate how the fiber addition influences
the cracking patterns of reinforced concrete beams. Fig. 16 shows the crack
patterns of series-1 test beams at the same applied load P = 20 kN. Fig.
16 indicates that the conventional reinforced concrete beam without fibers
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 16O.0
As • 5.73 c^, AS • 1.426 cif

125.0
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0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0

CONCRETE STRAIN,E«,(xE-3)

FIG. 10. Load-Concrete Strain Curves for Series-3 Test Beams

6.0 100.0 200.0 300.0 400.0 500.0

STEEL STRESS,51, IMPa)

FIG. 11. Steel Stress-Concrete Strain Curves

f ' 0.65^,As = 3.972 cm!

t3 A : v.- l.Q I
A A : Vf- 2.0 I

0.0 100.0 200.0 300.0 400.0 500,0

STEEL STRESS,<E ,(MPa)

FIG. 12. Effect of Steel Fibers on Reduction of Crack Widths for Singly Reinforced
Concrete Beams

(beam number S1V0) exhibits considerably larger cracks than the fiber-
reinforced concrete beams (beam numbers STVl and S1V2) at the same
loading step. The reinforced concrete beam with 2% fiber addition (S1V2)
shows considerably less cracking at each load stage. This fact indicates that
the fiber-reinforced concrete has remarkable resistance to tensile cracking.
Fig. 17 indicates the crack patterns for series-2 test beams at the applied
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0.0 100.0 200.0 300.0 ABO.a 500.0

STEEL STRESS,«,(MPal

FIG. 13. Effect of Steel Fibers on Reduction of Crack Widths for Doubly Rein-
forced Concrete Beams

f-0.S5j> .As - 3.372

— O : Vt- Q.o X
- Q : \ - 1.0 %
- . - A : * - 2.0 I

STEEL STRESS,07, (MPa)

FIG. 14. Effect of Steel Fibers on Crack Spacing of Singly Reinforced Concrete
Beams

load of 30 kN. The crack-controlling capability of steel fibers (beam number

S2V2) is again seen in this diagram. The crack patterns for doubly reinforced
concrete beams (series 3) are depicted in Fig. 18.

FLEXURAL ANALYSIS OF FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS

It has been customary to neglect the tensile resistance of concrete in

calculating the ultimate flexural capacity of reinforced concrete beams. This
is because the tensile strength of concrete is much less than the compressive
strength. Since the fiber-reinforced concrete greatly increases the tensile
capacity of concrete as shown in the previous section, this contribution of
fibers must be taken into account in the flexural analysis of beams.
The composite materials concept may be introduced to describe the me-
chanical behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete. The flexural strength of fiber-
reinforced composite material may be described as the sum of matrix strength
and fiber strength as follows.
o- c , °>P/ (1)
in whichCT„= flexural strength of fiber-reinforced composite; <jmt = flexural
strength of matrix; ay = strength of fibers; p,„ = volume ratio of matrix
( = 1 — pf); and pf = fiber volume ratio.
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 30.0
As - ' 5 . 7 3 en? .A 3 - 1.426 of
G -O : VL.- o.O X
o 4j: %- i.o x
,1 a : i£- 2.0 X

I .....:
§
- 4

"X
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-—*.—•_.-& ^ a - o

i
o.
1.0 100.0 200.0 300.0 400.0 500.0

STEEL STRESS,{J,<MPs I

FIG. 15. Effect of Steel Fibers on Crack Spacing of Doubly Reinforced Concrete
Beams

jiJLALLJLnLHLL
SIVI i i

'•'( " I.•.'! ... " i "\

., \: "^ "V
S1V2 i i

;.v ,;•';; 1" i- :,, I

FIG. 16. Crack Patterns at P = 20 kN for Series-1 Test Beams

Since the orientation, length, and bonding characteristics of fibers will

influence the strength of fiber-reinforced concrete, these parameters must
be incorporated into (1).
°Vr = °"mfPm + «c«l«60>P/ (2)

in which aD,ai,afc = orientation factor, length efficiency factor, and bond

efficiency factor of fibers, respectively.
It is reasonable here to assume that the strength contribution of the
concrete matrix at ultimate state may safely be neglected due to tensile
cracking. The first term of the right-hand side of (2) than vanishes. The
fiber strength ay may be derived from the bonding characteristics of fibers
as follows:

a,
J
f = 2T I 4 (3)

in which T = bond strength of fiber.

The ultimate strength oy of fiber-reinforced concrete is now summarized
as

(T, = 2a 0 a 1 a fc p / T I— (4)

The orientation factor aD is known to be about 0.41 for uniformly dis-

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 S2V0 1

•I f " it n
i i

• * $ ; « «? 1 ^ ^ ^ A
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1 i

,~ f r -I i • 1? C\

FIG. 17. Crack Patterns at p = 30 kN for Series-2 Test Beams

D2V0
A A

. /' , r J. ,, rr£/ ,,
mvi A I

k
i,. K ) i A >v
D2V! i *

A" , ,> ,» ,* ,*' f < i *•'.

FIG. 18. Crack Patterns at /> = 20 kN for Series-3 Test Beams

tributed fiber-reinforced concrete and the bond-efficiency factor ab is about

1.0 for straight fibers (Henager and Doherty, 1976).
The present study exploits Cox's (1952) results for length-efficiency factor
c«i as follows:

tanhlf
a, = 1 (5)
2

2TTG„
(6)
EfAf In

s = 25 (7)
Vfdf
in which Gm — shear modulus of concrete matrix; and Ef, Af, s, rf, and Vf
= elastic modulus, cross-sectional area, average spacing, radius, and volume
ratio of fibers, respectively.
The ultimate strength u, [(A)] of a fiber-reinforced composite may now
be employed to derive the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete beams
containing steel fibers.
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 c
Nautis!

® ®
•i'&
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FIG. 19. Strain and Stress Distributions at Cross Section of Fiber-Reinforced

Concrete Beam (Henager and Doherty 1976)

TABLE 5. Comparison of Calculated Moments with Measured Moments

Ratio R = (Calculated Mo-
Calculated Moment (N.m)
ment)/(Measured Moment)
Without con-
Fiber content Measured mo- Without con- Present sidering fi- Present
(%) ment (N.m) sidering fibers method bers method
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
(a) Series 1 (p = 0.4pfc)
0.0 12,181 13,508 — — —
1.0 15,229 13,561 14,952 0.890 0.982
2.0 17,963 13,699 16,594 0.763 0.924
(6) Series 2 (p = 0.65p6)
0.0 20,580 19,929 — — —
1.0 22,638 20,063 21,200 0.886 0.936
2.0 23,373 20,505 22,905 0.877 0.980
(c) Series 3 (p = 0.9p6, p' = 0.0085)
0.0 26,754 26,021 — — —
1.0 28,371 26,788 28,280 0.944 0.997
2.0 30,988 27,856 30,085 0.899 0.971
(d) Mean
0.877 0.965

Fig. 19 shows the strain and stress distributions of a fiber-reinforced

concrete beam. The neutral-axis depth c can be derived from the equilibrium
condition in the cross section.

AS(Ty ar.bh
(8)
0 . 8 5 / ^ f r + utb
in which As and ay = area and yield strength of tensile steel, respectively;
f'0 = compressive strength of concrete; b = beam width; and/i = beam depth.
The flexural capacity is then derived as follows:

<rtb(h — c)(h + c — a)
M„ = A<v., d (9)

which agrees with the method of Henager and Doherty (1976).

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 The nominal flexural strength of a doubly reinforced concrete beam con-
taining steel fibers may also be derived to supplement the method.

, (J a\ °Mh ~ c){h
f - A do
in which A's = area of compression steel; cr^. = compressive steel stress;
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and d' = concrete cover of compression steel.

Comparison with Tests

The equations derived in the last section have been applied to analyze
the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete beams containing steel fibers.
Table 5 shows the comparison of measured moments with calculated mo-
ments for various cases. Table 5 indicates that the conventional flexural
theory without considering fibers considerably underestimates the ultimate
flexural capacity of fiber-reinforced concrete beams. The ratios of calculated
moment to measured moment range from 0.763 to 0.944 for the conventional
theory and the average value of the ratios is 0.877. On the other hand, the
ratios range from 0.924 to 0.977 for the fiber-reinforced concrete theory
and the average value is 0.965. It may be said from this comparison that
fiber-reinforced concrete theory may be employed to analyze the flexural
behavior of reinforced concrete beams containing steel fibers.

CONCLUSION

The mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete beams with steel fibers

is investigated in the present study. An experimental program was set up
and several series of reinforced concrete beams have been tested. The fiber
contents of reinforced concrete beams for each series were varied from 0%
to 2% by volume. The deflections and the steel and concrete strains were
automatically measured and stored in the computer through the data-ac-
quisition system. It is found from this study that the ultimate resistance of
fiber-reinforced concrete beams is increased with an increase of fiber con-
tent. The present study also indicates that the ductility and energy absorption
capacity are considerably enhanced with the addition of steel fibers. The
effect of steel fibers is more pronounced for lightly reinforced concrete
beams.
In addition to the load-deformation behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete
beams, the cracking characteristics, including crack widths, crack spacings,
and crack patterns, have also been observed. The present study indicates
that the crack width increases almost linearly with an increase of steel stress
and that the crack width is remarkably reduced as the fiber amount in the
beam increases. The crack spacing is also affected by the addition of steel
fibers and is reduced with increasing fiber amounts. The fiber-reinforced
concrete beams exhibit considerably less cracking at the same applied load
and have remarkable resistance to tensile cracking.
A method of incorporating fiber effects in the flexural analysis of doubly
reinforced concrete beams is proposed to supplement an existing method
for singly reinforced concrete beams. It was found from this study that the
neglect of fiber contribution may yield serious errors in estimating the flex-
ural capacity of fiber-reinforced concrete beams.
The present study contributes to more realistic analysis and design of
reinforced concrete beams containing steel fibers.
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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Partial financial support from the Korea Science and Engineering Foun-
dation (KOSEF) is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are extended to H. J.
Lee, C. H. Chung, S. W. Baik, D. H. Lim, and S. L. Lee for their devoted
assistance.
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APPENDIX. I. REFERENCES

Cox, H. L. (1952). "The elasticity and strength of paper and other fibrous materials."
British J. Appl. Phys.,3, 72-79.
Craig, R. (1987). "Flexural behavior and design of reinforced fiber concrete mem-
bers." ACI SP105, American Concr. Inst., 517-563.
"Design considerations for steel fiber reinforced concrete." (1988). ACI Struct. J.,
85(5), 563-580.
Henager, C. H., and Doherty, T. J. (1976). "Analysis of reinforced fibrous concrete
beams."/. Struct. Engrg., ASCE, 102(1), 178-188.
Jindal, R., and Sharma, V. (1987). "Behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete knee-
type beam-column connections." ACI SPI05, 475-491.
Kormeling, H. A., Reinhardt, H. W., and Shah, S. P. (1980). "Static and fatigue
properties of concrete beams reinforced with continuous bars and with fibers."
ACI J., 77(6), 36-43.
Niyogi, S. K., and Dwarakanathan, G. I. (1985). "Fiber reinforced beams under
moment and shear." /. Struct. Engrg., ASCE, 111(3), 516-527.
Ramakrishnan, V., Coyle, W. V., Kulandaisamy, V., and Schrader, E. K. (1981).
' 'Performance characteristics of fiber reinforced concretes with low fiber contents.''
ACI J., 78(5), 388-394.
Romualdi, J. P., and Baston, G. B. (1963). "Mechanics of crack arrest in concrete."
J. Engrg. Mech., ASCE, 89(3), 147-168.
Romualdi, J. P., and Mandel, J. A. (1964). "Tensile strength of concrete affected
by uniformly distributed and closely spaced short lengths of wire reinforcement."
ACI, 61(6), 657-670.
Shah, S. P., and Rangan, B. V. (1971). "Fiber reinforced concrete properties." ACI
J., 68(2), 126-135.
Sood, V., and Gupta, S. (1987). "Behavior of steel fibrous concrete beam-column
connections." ACI, SP105, 437-474.
Swamy, R. N., and Al-Ta'an, S. A. (1981). "Deformation and ultimate strength in
flexure of reinforced concrete beams made with steel fiber concrete." ACI J.,
78(5), 395-405.
Swamy, R. N., and Bahia, H. M. (1985). "The effectiveness of steel fibers as shear
reinforcement." Concr. Int., ACI, 7(3), 35-40.
Swamy, R. N., Manget, P. S., and Rao, C. V. S. K. (1987). "The mechanics of
fiber reinforcement of cement matrices." ACI, SP105-28, 517-563.

APPENDIX II. NOTATION

The following symbols are used in this paper:

Af = cross-sectional area of fiber;

As = cross-sectional area of tensile steel;
K = cross-sectional area of compressive steel;
a = rectangular stress block depth;
b = beam width;
c = neutral-axis depth;
d = effective depth of beam;
d' = concrete cover of compression steel;
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 d
f = diameter of fiber;
p = elastic modulus of matrix concrete;
f'c = compressive strength of concrete;
Gm = shear modulus of matrix concrete;
h = beam height;
If = length of fiber;
P = applied load;
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r
f = radius of fiber;
s = average spacing of fiber;
Vf = fiber volume;
aD = orientation factor;
Oifc = bond-efficiency factor;
ai = length-efficiency factor;
0 = Eq (6) in paper;
P/ = fiber volume ratio;
Pm = matrix volume ratio ( = 1 — pf);
0"c( = flexural strength of fiber-reinforced composite
CT
/ = fiber strength;
O'mt = flexural strength of matrix;
< = compressive steel stress;
v, = ultimate strength of fiber-reinforced concrete;
<Ty = yield strength of main steel; and
T = bond strength of fiber.

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