Ductility of Self-Consolidating Reinforced Concrete Beams

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is a relatively new approach to making concrete, and it is characterized by its high flowability and resistance to aggregate segregation in the plastic state. A total of 3 beams were tested in this experimental investigation on the flexural ductility of reinforced concrete beams made with self-consolidating concrete. The beams were made from concrete having average compressive strength of 30 MPa and reinforcement ratio (?/?b) in the range of 0.15-1.38. Three self-consolidating reinforced concrete beams with different percentage of ? and constant amount of ?? were cast and incrementally loaded under bending. During the test, the strains on the concrete middle face and on the tension and compression bars as well as the deflection at different points of the span length were measured up to failure. This paper compares the ductility of reinforced beams cast with SCC concrete to the theoretical calculations based on two codes (ACI, CSA) recommended for the reinforced concrete members that vibrated into place to ensure proper filling and consolidation. Based on the results obtained, effect of increasing tension reinforcement on the curvature and displacement ductility of the self-consolidating concrete reinforced members is more deeply reviewed. Comparisons between theoretical and experimental results are also reported here. Generally, it was concluded that, self-consolidating reinforced concrete beams yielded greater ductility as opposed to the theoretical calculations based on two codes (ACI, CSA) recommended on conventional reinforced concrete beams.