The effects of steel fibre reinforced concrete on system ductility

Steel fibre-reinforced concrete is being used extensively today in both field applications and experimental studies on concrete strength and ductility. The state of passive confinement generated by the fibre delays cracking and enhances ductility. The present paper reports on both experimental and analytical studies. In the former, a series of 16 steel-fibre reinforced concrete prismatic specimens were subjected to axial loads and the respective axial load-unit strain diagrams were subsequently plotted to determine the effect of steel fibres on reinforced concrete column ductility. Secondly, an analytical study was run to determine the additional ductility accruing to a frame system when steel fibres are included in the concrete. Analytical models were generated for 16 two-storey, single-span reinforced concrete frames. The columns in these frames were designed to the same characteristics as the specimens used in the experimental tests. Non-linear static (pushover) analyses were performed for each frame to obtain load-displacement curves and determine the effect of steel fibres on reinforced concrete column ductility.