CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL

Concrete is one of the most versatile building materials. It can be cast to fit any
structural shape from a cylindrical water storage tank to a rectangular beam or column in a
high-rise building. The advantages of using concrete include high compressive strength,
good fire resistance, high water resistance, low maintenance, and long service life. The
disadvantages of using concrete include poor tensile strength, low strain of fracture and
formwork requirement. The major disadvantage is that concrete develops micro cracks
during curing. It is the rapid propagation of these micro cracks under applied stress that is
responsible for the low tensile strength of the material. Hence fibres are added to concrete
to overcome these disadvantages. The addition of fibres in the matrix has many important
effects. Most notable among the improved mechanical characteristics of Fibre Reinforced
Concrete (FRC) are its superior fracture strength, toughness, impact resistance, flexural
strength resistance to fatigue, improving fatigue performance is one of the primary
reasons for the extensive use of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) in pavements,
bridge decks, offshore structures and machine foundation, where the composite is
subjected to cyclically varying load during its lifetime. Today the space shuttle uses fibres
in heat shield ties to control the effects of thermal expansion and the human body’s
strongest and most flexible structures, muscles are made up of fibres. The fact is fibres
of almost any description improve the ability of substances to withstand strain.

The main reasons for adding steel fibers to concrete matrix is to improve the post-
cracking response of the concrete, i.e., to improve its energy absorption capacity and
apparent ductility, and to provide crack resistance and crack control. Also, it helps to
maintain structural integrity and cohesiveness in the material. The initial researches
combined with the large volume of follow up research have led to the development of a
wide variety of material formulations that fit the definition of Fiber Reinforced Concrete.
Steel fibre’s tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, stiffness modulus and mechanical
deformations provide an excellent means of internal mechanical interlock. This provides a
user friendly product with increased ductility that can be used in applications of high
impact and fatigue loading without the fear of brittle concrete failure.

Thus, SFRC exhibits better performance not only under static and quasi-statically
applied loads but also under fatigue, impact, and impulsive loading
 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 GENERAL

The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of using steel fiber in
concrete especially in the aspect of compressive strength and split tensile strength. A detailed
review of literature related to the scope of this work is presented in this chapter.

2.2 SOME STUDIES ON STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

(International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering ,
Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2013)

Fibres are generally used as resistance of cracking and strengthening of concrete. This
project is to carry out test on steel fibre reinforced concrete to check the influence of
fibres on flexural strength of concrete. According to various research papers, it has been
found that steel fibres give the maximum strength in comparison to glass and
polypropylene fibres. Hence, this project was interested in finding out the optimum
quantity of steel fibres required to achieve the maximum flexural strength for M25 grade
concrete. From the exhaustive and extensive experimental work it was found that with
increase in steel fibre content in concrete there was a tremendous increase in Flexural
strength. Even at 1 % steel fibre content flexural strength of 6.46 N/mm2 was observed
against flexural strength 5.36 N/mm2 at 0% hence increase of 1.1% flexural strength was
obtained.
Test and test results
 FRC is Portland cement reinforced concrete reinforced with more or less randomly
distributed fibres.
 Casting of 3 beams without steel fibres to compare our results with the steel fibre
reinforced concrete
 One normal concrete beam of size (700mmX150mmX150mm) is casted in the
mould and kept to cure for 24 hours. It is then unmoulded and kept in water for 28
days. After 28 days, the beams would be tested for their flexural strength.
  As per the requirements and economy of projects obtain the percentage of steel
fibres to be added to attain the required flexural strength of about 10% - 20%
Increase in flexural strength compared to normal concrete.

2.3 STEEL FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE

(International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume
9 Number 15 - Mar 2014)

The purpose of this research is based on the investigation of the use of steel fibres in
structural concrete to enhance the mechanical properties of concrete. The objective of the
study was to determine and compare the differences in properties of concrete containing
without fibres and concrete with fibres. This investigation was carried out using several
tests, compressive test and flexural test. A total of eleven mix batches of concrete
containing 0% to 5% with an interval of 0.5% by wt. of cement. ‘Hooked’ steel fibres
were tested to determine the enhancement of mechanical properties of concrete. The
workability of concrete significantly reduced as the fibre dosage rate increases.
The main objective of the test program is to study the effect of hooked steel fibres
on various concrete strengths in hardened and wet condition at their various percentages.
The test on harden concrete are carried out according to relevant standards wherever
applicable. Results of various strengths are computed according to thestrength of material
theory. Various tables presented in this chapter shows the results obtained from the test on
wet and harden concrete. Results of harden SFRC are discussed in comparison with those
of normal concrete
 Compressive strength which indicates the optimum volume fraction of fibers
which gives maximum strength at 28 days is 3.0%. The percentage augment in
strength at this volume fraction of fibers over normal concrete at 7 and 28 days is
20.68% and 6.15% respectively. Cracks occur in microstructure of concrete and
fibers reduce the crack formation and propagation. After optimum level, there is
drop in compressive strength which indicates air entrapment in the concrete due to
incorporation of high fiber volume fraction.
 The flexural strength increases with increase in fiber content up to 4.0% and then
it decreases. The maximum values at 7 and 28 days are 5.83 and 7.01 respectively.
 Thus, there is enhancement in flexural strength of concrete from 2.03% to 13.80%
at 7 days and from 0.88% to 15.86 % at 28 days.
 In general, the satisfactory improvement in various strengths is observed with the
inclusion of Steel fibres in the plain concrete. However, maximum gain in strength
of concrete is found to depend upon the amount of fibre content. The optimum
fibre content to impart maximum gain in various type of the strengths.
 Ductility of concrete is found to increase with inclusion of fibres at higher fibre
content. The width of cracks is found to be less in SFRC than that in plain cement
concrete beam.

2.4 INVESTIGATION OF STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE ON

COMPRESSIVE AND TENSILE STRENGTH
(International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT) Vol. 1
(Issue 3, May – 2012)

Based on the laboratory experiment on steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC), cube and
cylindrical specimens have been designed with steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC)
containing fibers of 0% and 0.5% volume fraction of hook end and crimped round Steel
fibers of 50 , 53.85, 62.50 (copper coated) aspect ratio were used without admixture.
Comparing the result of SFRC with plain M25 grade concrete, this paper validated the
positive effect of steel fiber with 0.5 percentage increases in compression and splitting
improvement of specimen at 7 and 28 days, analyzed the sensitivity of steel fiber to
concrete with different strength.
 CHAPTER 3

FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE

3.1 GENERAL
Fibre reinforced concrete is a concrete mix that contains short discrete fibres that
are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented. As a result of these different
formulations, four categories of fibre reinforcing have been created. These include steel
fibres, glass fibres, synthetic fibres and natural fibres. Within these different fibres that
character of Fibre Reinforced Concrete changes with varying concrete's, fibre materials,
geometries, distribution, orientation and densities. The amount of fibres added to a
concrete mix is measured as a percentage of the total volume of the composite (concrete
and fibres) termed Volume Fraction (Vf). Vf typically ranges from 0.1 to 3%. Aspect ratio
(l/d) is calculated by dividing fibre length (l) by its diameter (d). Fibres with non-circular
cross section use an equivalent diameter for the calculation of aspect ratio. If the modulus
of elasticity of the fibre is higher than the matrix (concrete or mortar binder), they help to
carry the load by increasing the tensile strength of the material. Increase in the aspect ratio
of the fibre usually segments the flexural strength and toughness of the matrix. However,
fibres which are too long tend to "ball" in the mix andcreate workability problems. Unlike
resin and metal the fibre composites in which the fibres are aligned and amount to 60 - 80
% of the composite volume, fibre reinforced Cement or Concrete composites contain a
less percentage of fibres which are generally arranged in planar or random orientations.
Unidirectional fibres uniformly distributed throughout the volume are the most efficient in
uni-axial tension. While flexural strength may depend on the unidirectional alignment of
the fibres dispersed for away from the neutral plane, flexural shear strength may call for a
random orientation. A proper shape and higher aspect ratio are also needed to develop an
adequate bond between the concrete and the fibre so that thefracture of the fibres may be
fully utilized.
 Fig 1: Hooked end steel fibres

3.2 FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF SFRC

1. Elimination of manufacturing, handling, storage and positioning of reinforcement

cages.
2. Reduction in the production cycle time resulting in increased productivity.
3. Improved impact resistance during handling, erection.
4. Increased load bearing capacity and less spalling damage.
5. Enhanced durability.
6. Important time savings due to the elimination of the manufacturing, transport,
handling and positioning of the conventional reinforcement.
7. No damage to sealing due to reinforcement.
8. Excellent corrosion resistance, spalling is totally excluded.
9. Excellent crack control, the fibres control and distribute the cracks.
10. The fibres give resistance to tensile stresses at any point in the shotcrete layer.
11. Reinforces against the effect of shattering forces.
12. Reinforces against material loss from abrading forces

3.3 APPLICATIONS OF SFRC

Steel fibre reinforced concrete has gained widespread use in applications such as the
following,
1. Rock slope stabilisation and support of excavated foundations, often in
conjunction with rock and soil anchor systems.
2. Industrial floorings, road pavements, warehouses, Foundation slabs.
3. Channel linings, protect bridge abutments.
4. Rehabilitation of deteriorated marine structures such as light stations, bulkheads,
piers, sea walls and dry docks.
5. Rehabilitation of reinforced concrete in structures such as bridges, chemical
processing and handling plants.
6. Support of underground openings in tunnels and mine
 CHAPTER 4
OBJECTIVE OF EXPERIMENT
4.1 GENERAL
The objective of the present study was to investigate experimentally the properties of
Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) with the following test results:
1) Compressive strength
2) Split Tensile strength
3) Flexure strength
These test results are compared with conventional concrete of M20 grade
 CHAPTER 5
EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME

5.1 GENERAL
The experimental Programme involves various processes of material testing, mix
proportioning, mixing, casting and curing of test specimens which is elaborated in the
following sections.
5.2 MATERIALS USED
The material used in the preparation of concrete mix includes cement, fine aggregates,
coarse aggregates and steel fibres. Each material was tested &its physical properties are
described below.

5.2.1 Cement
Ordinary Portland cement of 43 grade were used, conforming to recommendations stated
in IS 4031(1999). The normal consistency and initial setting time of cement was 30% and
30 minutes respectively.

5.2.2 Fine Aggregate

M sand locally available to us was used as fine aggregate. It is manufactured from
crushed aggregates produced from hard granite stone which is cubically shaped with
grounded edges, washed and graded with consistency to be used as a substitute of
river sand.

5.2.3 Coarse Aggregate

Crushed angular aggregates from a local source were used as coarse aggregate.
5.2.4 Steel Fiber
The Physical Properties of Steel Fibers used are:
Table 1: Properties of steel fibre
Sl. No Property Values
1 Diameter 0.75mm
2 Length of fiber 50mm
3 Appearance Bright in clean wire
4 Average aspect ratio 80
5 Deformation Hooked at both ends
6 Tensile strength 1050 MPa
7 Modulus of Elasticity 200 GPa
8 Specific Gravity 7.8
5.2.5 Water
As per recommendation of IS: 456 (2000), the water to be used for mixing and curing
of concrete should be free from deleterious materials. Therefore potable water was used in
the present study in all operations demanding control over water quality.

5.3 METHODOLOGY
The mix proportioning procedure for the concrete was done according to IS
10262: 2009. The proportioning is carried out to achieve specified characteristics at
specified age, workability of fresh concrete and durability requirements. M20 grade
concrete were proportioned according to the procedure as mentioned in the code.
 Table 2: Mix proportion

Water Cement Fine Coarse

(litres) ( kg/m3 ) aggregate aggregate
(kg/m3) (kg/m3)
By weight 197 394 692.55 1232.66
(gms)
By volume 0.5 1.0 1.75 3.12
(m3)

5.5 MIXING OF CONCRETE, CASTING AND CURING OF TEST SPECIMENS

Hand mixing was done during the entire process of casting of specimens. Initially
the dry mix constituents of the mix namely cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate
was mixed and then the water were added and mixing continued until a homogeneous
mixture was obtained. Compaction was achieved by means of tamping. All specimens
were de molded after 24 hours and stored in water until the age of testing.
 CHAPTER 6
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

6.1 TESTS PERFORMED

The fresh concretes were tested for slump. However, the hardened concrete were
tested for compressive strength and split tensile strength are discussed below.
6.1.1 Workability Test
Workability tests were performed using Slump moulds as it is the quick measure
of workability of concrete mixes. The slump test was done in accordance with the IS
1199-1959.
6.1.2 Compressive Strength Test
Compressive strength test was performed according to IS 516: 1959.Cubes of
specimen of size 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm were prepared for each mix. After 24
hours the specimens were de molded and cured in water for 28 days until testing. The
compressive strength reported is the average of three results obtained from three identical
cubes.

Fig 2: Compressive strength testing on cube

6.1.3 Split Tensile Strength Test
The splitting tests are well known indirect tests used for determining the tensile
strength of concrete. The test consists of applying a compressive line load along the
opposite generators of a concrete cylinder placed with its axis horizontal between the
compressive platens. The test were performed according to the procedure adopted in IS
5816: 1999. Cylinders of specimen size 150 mm x 300 mm were prepared for each
mixes. The tensile strength reported is the average of three results obtained from three
identical cylinders.

Fig 3: Split tensile testing

6.1.4 Flexural Strength

The test can be performed in accordance with as per IS 5816:1999. A simple plain
concrete beam is loaded at onethird span points. Typical standard size of example 500 x
100x 100 mm is utilized. The load should be partitioned similarly between the two
stacking rollers, and all rollers might be mounted in such a way, to the point that the load
is connected pivotally and without subjecting the example to any torsional burdens or
limitations. Set up the test example by including the glass fibre at the rate of 0.5%, 1%
and 1.5% by filling the solid into the mould in 3 layers of roughly equivalent thickness.
Fig 4: Flexural strength test
 CHAPTER 7
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

7.1 Effect of percentage of fibers on workability of concrete

The result shows that workability of the concrete is solely affected by
addition of fibers in the mixes. The slump value for plain concrete was
observed to be 91mm. With the addition of fibers the value of slump reduces
and is reported between 91 to 74 mm
Table 3: Slump values
Sl.No Addition of fibres (%) Slump (mm)

1 0 91

2 0.5 88

3 1 82

4 1.5 74

100
90
80
Slump (mm)

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6

% Steel fibre
Fig 5: Slump-% steel fiber
7.2 Effect of percentage of fibers on compressive strength
Table 4: Compressive strength

SL TYPE OF % COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

NO. CONCRETE FIBRE (N/mm2)

7 DAYS 28 DAYS

1 Conventional 0% 12.44 23.28

Concrete(C.C.)
0.5% 16.83 31.63

2 Concrete with 1% 17.46 32.45

SFRC

1.5% 16.99 31.82

The compressive strength of concrete mixes was observed to be increasing as the

inclusion of fibers increases. The addition of 1% glass fibers by weight of concrete mix,
increases the strength to 26.6% .The maximum strength is obtained at 1% addition of
glass fiber.
 35

30

25
Compressive strength

20

7 days
15
28days
10

0
0 0.5 1 1.5
% steel fibre

Fig 6: Compressive strength - % steel fibre

7.3 Effect of percentage of fibers on tensile strength of concrete

The result shows that there is a significant improvement in the tensile strength of
concrete with the addition of steel fibers. Addition of 1% steel fiber increases the tensile
strength to 28.7% .
Table 5: Split tensile strength
SL TYPE OF % SPLIT TENSILE
NO. CONCRETE Fibre STRENGTH
N/mm2

7 DAYS 28 DAYS

1 Conventional
Concrete(C.C.) 0% 2.008

2 Concrete with
SFRC 0.5% 2.805
 1% 2.95

1.5% 2.90

35
Compressive strength

30
25
20
15 7 days
10 28days
5
0
0 0.5 1 1.5
% steel fibre

Fig 7: Tensile strength - % fiber

5.4 Effect of percentage of fibers on flexural strength of concrete

The result shows that there is a significant improvement in the flexural strength of
concrete with the addition of steel fibers. Addition of 1% steel fiber increases the flexural
strength up to 28%.
 Table 6: Flexural strength
FLEXURAL
SL TYPE OF STRENGTH
NO. CONCRETE (N/mm2 )
7 DAYS 28 DAYS
Conventional
1 Concrete(C.C.) 3.5 6.5
0.5% 4.43 7.89

2 Concrete with SFRC 1% 4.59 8.32

1.5% 4.51 8.28

10
Flexural strength

8
6
4 7 days
2 28 days

0
0 0.5 1 1.5
% steel fibre

Fig 8: Flexural strength- % fibre

 CONCLUSION

Based on experimental investigation addition of steel Fibre in plain

concrete increases the strength and durability characteristics. Initially
addition of steel Fibre in the plain concrete the strength characterstics like
compressive, flexural and split tensile strength is gradually increased.
Finally certain percent addition of steel Fibre attain that gradually decrease
in strength. Maximum compressive, flexural and split tensile strength is
attaining in 1.0% addition of Glass Fibre. So adding Glass Fibre upto 1.0%
only not exceeds the limit. The durability characteristics gradually increased
based on the addition of Glass Fibre. A reduction in bleeding improves the
surface integrity of concrete, improves its homogeneity and decreases crack
width.
 REFERENCE
 “Investigation of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete on Compressive
and Tensile Strength” International Journal of Engineering Research
& Technology (IJERT) Vol. 1 Issue 3, May - 2012 ISSN: 2278-0181
www.ijert. Vikrant S. Vairagade, Kavita S. Kene, Dr. N. V.
Deshpande
 “Experimental investigation on steel fiber reinforced concrete ”
International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced
Engineering Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO
9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 4, April 2015) Yogesh
Ulape, Giridhar Narule
 “Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete” International Journal of
Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 9 Number 15
- Mar 2014 Abdul Ghaffar,Assistant Professor, Jawaharlal Darda
institute of Engineering and Technology, Yavatmal, Amit S. Chavhan
 “Some Studies on Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete” International
Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering Website:
www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal,
Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2013)
