Shear in Mortar Beams Containing Fibers and Fly Ash

Abstract

A total of 24 tests have been carried out to investigate the shear resistance of rectangular mortar beams reinforced with three combinations of steel fibers and conventional stirrups; the tests have also been designed to study the effect of partial replacement of cement by pulverized fuel ash (PFA). The experiments have demonstrated the advantages of combining steel fibers and stirrups for shear reinforcement. The partial replacement of cement by PFA results in improved workability and higher long term strengths. Based on the test observations, a rapid method of assessing the ultimate shear strength of reinforced concrete beams containing both stirrups and fibers as shear reinforcement is suggested. Good correlation has been obtained between observed test values and the predictions using the method suggested in this paper.