Flexural Behavior of RC Beams Using Fe-Based Shape Memory Alloy Rebars as Tensile Reinforcement

Recently, various studies for the use of Fe-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) in the construction field have been widely conducted. However, most of the studies for using Fe-SMA are carried out for applying Fe-SMA for strengthening deteriorated structures. However, if Fe-SMA is used as a reinforcement for new structures, the disadvantages of conventional prestressed concrete can be effectively solved. Therefore, in this work, an experimental study was conducted to evaluate the flexural behavior of concrete beams in which Fe-SMA rebars were used as tensile reinforcement. For the study, ten specimens were constructed with the consideration of the cross-sectional area and activation of Fe-SMA rebars as experimental variable. Activation of the Fe-SMA rebars by electrical resistance heating applied an eccentric compressive force to the specimen to induce camber. The camber increased by an average of 0.093 mm as the cross-sectional area of the Fe-SMA rebar increased by 100 mm2. It was also confirmed through the four-point bending tests that the initial crack loads of the activated specimens were 47.6~112.8% greater than those of the nonactivated specimens. However, the ultimate strength of the activated specimens showed a slight difference of 3% to those of the nonactivated specimens. Therefore, it was confirmed that the effect of Fe-SMA activation on the ultimate strength of specimens was negligible.