Effect of structural macro fiber synthetic fibers on bending behavior of reinforced concrete beams

Natural disasters have been one of the problems that mankind has struggled with the most throughout history. Earthquake, which is seismic ground motion, is one of the most important natural disasters we struggle with. Various methods have been developed and numerous researches have been carried out to use them in the structures we build to protect against earthquakes. The developed methods are intended to be economical while ensuring our safety. In order to reduce construction costs, savings should be made on concrete and reinforcement materials used. This saving is possible with less labor and faster production with a material such as self-compacting concrete in concrete material. Reinforcement material, on the other hand, can be made using fibers, which are cheaper materials than steel. Various loads and different damages that will occur on beams in buildings under earthquake are very important. For these reasons, beams must be tested under different loads. Reinforced concrete beams have been examined in many experimental studies and the parameters in these studies have changed countless times. However, a limited number of studies have been carried out on self-compacting concrete, and structural macro fiber fibers have not been used together with reinforcement material in the studies. For this reason, within the scope of this study, the differences caused by the use of beams under the effect of shear and bending, self-compacting concrete, and structural macro fiber fibers were examined in terms of damage mechanics. The variation of the stirrup spacing and the amount of fiber used per cubic meter are the variables of this study. The variation of the stirrup range is; without stirrup, Ø8620, Ø6/10, Ø6/5, and the fiber amounts are; no fiber, 2,5 kg/m3, 5 kg/m3, 10 kg/m3. Concrete strength is C30 and self-compacting concrete is preferred in all test elements. 16 ½ scale beams with these characteristics were tested in a four-point bending setup. Using the data obtained from the experimental study, stiffness, load-displacement, and energy consumption graphs were drawn and interpreted. Keywords: Experimental study, damage mechanics, reinforced concrete beam, self compacting concrete, structural macro fiber synthetic fibers