Mechanical behavior of steel fiber reinforced lightweight concrete plates

In the thesis study, the investigation of the plastic deformation capacity, namely ductility, of lightweight reinforced concrete slabs under bending is discussed. Ductility can be defined as the damping property of the carrier system or carrier element by changing shape with plastic deformations without a significant decrease in the bearing capacity under the influence of earthquakes. Since the natural weights of the structures built with load-bearing lightweight reinforced concrete elements are lower than those built with normal concrete, earthquake loads are also lower. Due to the less weight of the building, the cross-sections of the carrier elements can be sized smaller and the cost of the building can be reduced. In addition, the use of lightweight concrete in buildings increases the heat and sound insulation performance of buildings. In this study, 60*60*10 cm reinforced concrete slabs were produced by using pumice aggregate obtained from Kayseri region and steel wires with different properties at the rate of 15/30/45/60 kg/m3. The energy absorption capacities (toughness) under bending were compared with the obtained plate samples. In addition, cube samples of 15*15*15 cm dimensions were produced in order to examine their behavior against pressure and splitting. When compared to the reference sample, it was concluded that the energy absorption capacity of the plates increased with the steel wire reinforcement, the compressive strength increased in cube samples, and the splitting strength increased in cube samples.