Strength and Performance of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Composite Slabs

Abstract

The research presented in this paper was performed to evaluate and compare the influence of four types of secondary reinforcement for temperature and shrinkage on the strength and behavior of composite slabs with a variety of loading conditions and span configurations. The four types of secondary reinforcement were welded wire fabric (WWF), and three types of fibers. The tests included three-span composite slabs, with the steel deck continuous over the three spans but with no negative moment reinforcement used, subjected to a uniformly distributed load, and simple span slabs subjected to point and line loads. In conjunction with the slab tests, the flexural toughness and first-crack strength of the fiber-reinforced concrete mixes were determined using the ASTM C1018 standard test. The performance of the specimens reinforced with fibers is compared with that of the specimens reinforced with WWF. Test results indicate that the strength, failure mode, crack initiation, and propagation, and load–deflection behavior are not greatly influenced by the type of secondary reinforcement in the composite slab.