KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering (0000) 00(0):1-12 Structural Engineering

Copyright ⓒ2017 Korean Society of Civil Engineers

DOI 10.1007/s12205-017-1294-2 pISSN 1226-7988, eISSN 1976-3808
www.springer.com/12205
TECHNICAL NOTE

Structural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams Made

with Ferrochrome Slag as Coarse Aggregate
Jnyanendra Kumar Prusty*, Sanjaya Kumar Patro**, and Tribikram Mohanty***
Received July 25, 2016/Revised February 13, 2017/Accepted March 2, 2017/Published Online April 25, 2017

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Abstract
Nowadays, industrial wastes are utilized in concrete to reduce the demand of natural resources as well as for environmental safety.
This research deals with the structural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams made with ferrochrome slag as coarse aggregate. In
two different phases, total eighteen number of beams were tested. In first phase, the ultimate failure load of conventional reinforced
concrete beams (CRCB) and ferrochrome slag based reinforced concrete beams (FRCB) were compared. After noticing the higher
load carrying capacity of FRCB than that of CRCB, in second phase only FRCBs were considered to observe the effect of span
length and tension reinforcement ratio on its structural properties. The ultimate flexural strength, shear strength, short-term
deflection, and crack widths were observed and compared with the predicted values obtained from IS 456 and EUROCODE 2. It has
been observed that both Indian and European standards were well predicted the flexural capacity of FRCB. However, they were more
conservative to predict the shear capacity of FRCB. The short-term deflection and crack width under service load has satisfied well,
the requirement of the design code.
Keywords: Ferrochrome slag aggregate, Sustainable concrete, Flexural behaviour, Shear behaviour, Short-term deflection, Crack
width
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1. Introduction
Many industrial wastes have already found applications as
coarse aggregates for concrete and have been topics of active
research. Aggregates are the main ingredients of concrete
occupying 75% of its volume and they directly affects the fresh
and hardened properties (Nadeem and Pofale, 2012). Growth of
population and rapid increase of urbanization are highly
demanding factors for extensive use of concrete in the construction
industry. This huge demand of concrete directly affects the
preservation of natural resources and the environment negatively. In
developed countries, extensive use of concrete produces huge
amount of solid waste and creates pollution problem. This sort of
problems, motivate researchers to focus on the sustainable
development in the construction industry. Nowadays, wastes are
utilized with novel applications in mind like using recycled
concrete from construction and demolition wastes, using waste
products from industries and utilizing agricultural wastes in
lightweight concrete.
This work emphasizes on the use of ferrochrome slag (FeCr)
as coarse aggregate in concrete. Ferrochrome (FeCr) is the
regular alloy material for the generation of stainless steel. In
India, the current production capacity of most preferred bulk
ferro-alloys is about 3.36 million tonnes per annum, which is
contributed by more than 118 plants operating total 229 furnaces
(Harman, 2007). The production of high carbon ferrochromium
slag which is treated as a waste material from ferrochrome
industries, creates disposal problem and affects the ecological
balance. However, the mechanical properties, mineralogical and
chemical characterisation indicates the technical acceptability
and environmental compatibility of the slag as concrete aggregate
material (Panda et al., 2013). Thus the use of this waste material
in the construction industry can solve the chronic problems like
shortage of natural aggregate and also the environmental
pollution.
Nadeem and Pofale (2012) investigated the effects of slag on
concrete strength properties by using Taguchi's approach of
optimization. They reported that in the full replacement of
normal coarse aggregate with slag improved the flexural and
splitting tensile strength by about 6-8% in all mixes. The
improvement in strength was attributed to the rough surface
texture which ensured strong bonding and adhesion between
aggregate particles and cement paste. Zelic (2005) investigated
the behaviour of ferrochrome slag aggregate in concrete pavement.
The compressive strength of ferrochrome slag concretes after 28-
day of curing, became 1.5 times higher than the strength obtained
from the control concrete. They also observed that for all
mechanical properties of reinforced slag concrete, slag showed

*M Tech Student, School of Civil Engineering, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India (Corresponding Author, E-mail: jkumar.prusty@gmail.com)
**Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, VSS University of Technology, Burla, Odisha, India (E-mail: litusanjay@yahoo.com)
***Assistant Professor, School of Civil Engineering, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India (E-mail: tribikrammohanty@yahoo.com)

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 Jnyanendra Kumar Prusty, Sanjaya Kumar Patro, and Tribikram Mohanty
better performance than limestone as aggregate. Gencel et al.
(2012) investigated the impact of ferrochrome slag and fly ash
on behaviour of concrete. They found that the splitting tensile
strength, compressive strength, elastic modulus and wear resistance
value decreased by using fly ash whereas it increased the value
of freeze-thaw durability. The use of ferrochrome slag aggregate
increased the abrasion wear resistance and compressive strength
of concrete.
Pellegrino and Faleschini (2013) investigated the suitability of
Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) slag as aggregate in reinforced
concrete structures. Concrete tested with EAF Slag as aggregate
showed higher mechanical strength than the control concrete.
EAF slag based beams were also showed a higher ultimate
flexural capacity and shear capacity than the control concrete.
Authors (Pellegrino and Faleschini, 2013) reported that EAF slag
can be fully replaced as coarse aggregate which can be benefit
from economic and environmental perspective. Asamoah and
Afrifa (2011) reported the flexural behaviour of Phyllite aggregate
(waste from gold mining) such as load-deflection relation,
displacement ductility and crack widths according to BS 8110
(1997). The experimental flexural load capacity of Phyllite aggregate
concrete beam was about 115% of the predicted theoretical capacity.
It was observed that the flexural cracks under service loads and
early shear cracks were not satisfying the allowable limit of code.
The deflection was within the limitations of design code but
ductility of beams was very low. It has been seen that the BS
8110 (1997) overestimated the shear capacity of the Phyllite
aggregate concrete beams. Thus authors recommended a multiplying
factor of 0.8 to lower the predicted shear capacity of the beams.
Gunasekaran et al. (2013) compared the coconut shell aggregate
based concrete beams with conventional concrete beams. They
investigated the moment capacity, cracking, deflection, end
rotations, ductility and strains in both compression and tension. It
was observed that there were no horizontal cracks in tension
zone, which indicates a good bond between coconut shell
concrete and reinforcement. Deflection behaviour and crack
width of all beams were under the limitations of BS 8110 (1997)
and IS 456 (2000). Alengaram et al. (2008) studied that moment
capacity of palm kernel shell concrete beams was higher than
control concrete beams by about 3%. Palm kernel shell concrete
beams were failed in ductile failure however, the control
concrete beams were failed in brittle failure. Deflection and
crack width of palm kernel shell concrete beams were more than
that of control concrete beams. Teo et al. (2006) also observed
the similar behaviour of oil palm shell aggregate in concrete
beams. But they suggested that the beam depth should be
increased in case of double reinforced beam which exceeded the
limitations of BS 8110 (1997).
Choi and Yun (2013) observed the long-term deflection of
Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC) beam for 380days and
flexural behaviour of RAC beams after exposure to sustained
loading. After applying the superimposed load, immediately
cracks were observed in all beams but the cracks of the beam
with recycled aggregates were longer than the controlled beams.
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Deflections of all beams were under the limitation of the value
obtained from the modified equation for recycled aggregate
concrete beams. It was observed that flexural capacity and bond
strength of recycled aggregate concrete beams were less than the
controlled beams. Shafigh et al. (2011) used Lightweight Expanded
Clay Aggregate (LECA) in RCC beams to investigate its
property on the flexural behaviour of the beam. They observed
that in some cases failure mode was different from the prediction
of ACI 318 (2008). The experimental design moment value was
higher than the predicted moment value which indicates that,
ACI 318 (2008) code may be used to get a conservative estimation.
They also concluded that increasing the reinforcement ratio
decreases the deflection and ductility.
Extensive literature studies indicate that no detailed structural
behaviour of the beam using ferrochrome slag as coarse
aggregate in concrete has been investigated. It has also seen that
waste materials such as phyllite aggregate (waste from mining
activity), recycled aggregate used in reinforced concrete did not
meet the limit of deflection, crack width of respective codes and
thereby the durability.
2. Research Significance
To bridge the above research gap, this study investigates the
structural behaviour of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams using
ferrochrome slag as coarse aggregate. The focus of this study is
to observe the behaviour of material and to introduce an application
of ferrochrome slag as coarse aggregate which is essentially a
waste material from ferrochrome industry. Flexure, shear, load-
deflection, load-crack width relation and displacement ductility of
ferrochrome slag based concrete beams are studied and compared
the results with the theoretical predictions as per Indian and
European standards.
3. Experimental Program
3.1 Materials
Ordinary Portland cement of 43 grade conforming to IS 8112
(1989) was used for concrete work. Natural river sand conforming
to zone III as per the specification of IS 383 (1970) was used as
fine aggregate in concrete mix. Two types of material such as
crushed granite and ferrochrome slag (Fig. 1) confirming to IS
383 (1970) were used as coarse aggregate.
3.2 Mix Proportion, Casting and Curing
Four different concrete mix proportions: MNC1, MNC2, MFC1
and MFC2 were prepared. Mix composition, proportion and
details of mix ingredients are presented in Table 1. Mix MNC1
and MNC2 represents the mix composition of OPC, sand and
crushed granite with two different nominal mix proportions of
1:2:4 and 1:1.5:3. Mix MFC1 and MFC2 represents the mix
composition of OPC, sand and ferrochrome slag with the similar
mix proportions as conventional concrete. Water-cement ratio of
0.45 was kept constant throughout the mixing. Concrete cube
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering
 Structural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams Made with Ferrochrome Slag as Coarse Aggregate

Fig. 1. Ferrochrome Slag Aggregate

Table 1. Details of Mix Proportion and Ingredients

Quantity of Mix ingredients per 1 m of concrete (kg/m )
3 3

Mix Proportion W/C

Mix Designation Crushed Ferrochrome
C:FA:CA ratio Water Cement Sand
Granite slag
MNC1 1:2:4 0.45 148.5 330 660 1320 0
MNC2 1:1.5:3 0.45 189 420 630 1260 0
MFC1 1:2:4 0.45 148.5 330 660 0 1320
MFC2 1:1.5:3 0.45 189 420 630 0 1260
MNC- Normal concrete mix, MFC- Ferrochrome slag concrete mix C-Cement, FA-Fine aggregate, CA- Coarse aggregate, W-Water

moulds with size 150 × 150 × 150 mm and rectangular moulds ferrochrome slag based concrete) were cast with four different
with size 100 × 100 × 500 mm were used for compression test span length and three different tension reinforcement ratio. In
and modulus of rupture test respectively. Samples were cured for this phase, the structural behaviour of ferrochrome slag concrete
28 days and then tested for compressive strength using universal beams were studied and compared with the theoretical predicted
testing machine with capacity 500 kN. The flexural strength of values as per Indian and European standards.
the beams were tested by a four point test using universal
flexural testing machine with a maximum load capacity 20 tons. 3.4.1 Design and Details of Beams
Phase-I: The details of beam tested in phase-1 are presented in
3.3 Physical Properties of Aggregates Table 2. The dimension of 2000 mm length × 150 mm width ×
Sand, Crushed granite and ferrochrome slag aggregate samples 200 mm depth were taken for all six beams. 2-10 mm and 2-16
were taken for the particle size distribution test. Crushed granite mm diameter bar were taken for top and bottom reinforcement
and ferrochrome slag aggregate were dried in oven and physical whereas 8 mm diameter bars were used as shear reinforcement at
tests such as specific gravity, water absorption, aggregate impact 150 mm centre to centre spacing. All the details of beams are
value, aggregate crushing value, flakiness index, elongation shown in Fig. 2. Three cubes were cast for each beam to check
index and Los Angeles abrasion value were conducted as per the
IS 383 (1970). All the test results are discussed in section 4. Table 2. Specimen Description of Conventional and Ferrochrome
Slag Concrete Beams
3.4 Test Program of Beams Beam dimension Shear spacing
Beam No. l/d
Total eighteen numbers of beams were tested in two different (L × B × D) mm (mm)
phases. All the beams were cast with mix ratio 1:1.5:3 and w/c BNC1 2000 × 150 × 200 10 150
ratio of 0.45. In first phase, six beams: three beams made with BNC2 2000 × 150 × 200 10 150
conventional concrete and other three beams made with ferrochrome BNC3 2000 × 150 × 200 10 150
slag concrete. In this phase, ultimate load capacity and load- BFC1 2000 × 150 × 200 10 150
deflection behaviour of both types of beams were compared. BFC2 2000 × 150 × 200 10 150
In second phase, total twelve number of beams (all made with BFC3 2000 × 150 × 200 10 150

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 Jnyanendra Kumar Prusty, Sanjaya Kumar Patro, and Tribikram Mohanty

Fig. 2. Beam Details of Phase-I Testing

Table 3. Specimen Description

Beam B×D×L Shear spacing Percentage of tension
l/d
no. (mm) (mm) reinforcement (%)
B1 110×225×2400 10.5 200 0.45
B2 110×225×2400 10.5 200 0.71
B3 110×225×2400 10.5 200 1.02
B4 110×225×2000 9.0 200 0.45
B5 110×225×2000 9.0 200 0.71 Fig. 3. Beam Details of Phase-II Testing
B6 110×225×2000 9.0 200 1.02
B7 110×225×1700 7.5 200 0.45
B8 110×225×1700 7.5 200 0.71
B9 110×225×1700 7.5 200 1.02
B10 110×225×1400 6.0 200 0.45
B11 110×225×1400 6.0 200 0.71
B12 110×225×1400 6.0 200 1.02
All strengths are measured after 28 days of curing

the compressive strength after 28 days of water curing.

Phase-II: Total twelve number of beams were cast with mix
ratio 1:1.5:3 (cement: sand: FeCr slag aggregate) and w/c ratio
was kept 0.45 for all beams. The width of 110 mm and overall
depth 225 mm were taken for all beams. Four different lengths of
the beam such as 1400 mm, 1700 mm, 2000 mm and 2400 mm
were considered. Three different high yield strength deformed
tension reinforcement ratio that is 0.45% (2-8 mm ø), 0.71% (2-
10 mm ø) and 1.02% (2-12 mm ø) were used in each length
categories of beams. Vertical stirrups and top longitudinal
reinforcements were provided by 6 mm diameter of mild steel.
The clear cover of 15 mm is used for all the beams. Stirrups were
provided at 200 mm centre to centre for both flexural and shear
Fig. 4. (a) Schematic Sketch Loading Pattern, (b) Experimental Set-up
zone to ensure the pure flexural failure of the beams. The With Instruments
selection of the beam characteristics was to observe the effect of
under-reinforced, over-reinforced and span-effective depth ratio
on the structural behaviour of RC beams which are using curing. The support condition for all beams was considered as
ferrochrome slag as coarse aggregate. Compressive and flexural simply supported and tested to failure by two symmetrical point
strength of plain ferrochrome slag concrete was determined after load test as shown in Fig. 4 which ensures a constant moment at
28 days of water curing as per IS 456 (2000) standard. Following the mid-span of the beams. The self-weight of the beams was
Table 3 and Fig. 3 show the specimen description of the assumed to be negligible. Load was applied by a hydraulic jack
experiment. of capacity 200 kN by increasing loads by 2 kN initially and 5
kN later. The load was transferred to the proving ring of capacity
3.4.2 Specimen Preparation and Instrument Set Up 200 ton and then to the I-beam placed on the concrete beam. A
Beams were cast and placed in steel moulds. Compaction was dial gauge having 25 mm range was fixed below the centre of
done with a vibrator. Beams were tested after 28 days of water each beam to observe the deflection at mid-span with respect to

−4− KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering

 Structural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams Made with Ferrochrome Slag as Coarse Aggregate
the load. In Phase-I testing, only ultimate load capacity and load-
deflection behaviour were observed and compared between both
types of beams. In Phase-II testing, crack developments on the
surface of the concrete beams were closely observed. First
flexural cracks and first shear cracks were also marked. Crack
widths were measured with a handheld crack measuring microscope
of optical magnification 40X and least count of 0.01 mm. After
failure, the crack lines were marked on the surface of the beams.
4. Result and Discussion
4.1 Physical Properties of Aggregates
Concrete properties vary as per the physical and mechanical
properties of coarse aggregate. Various physical and mechanical
properties of aggregates are presented below.
4.1.1 Grading Analysis
The grading analysis of fine and coarse aggregates used in
the experiment are shown in Fig. 5. From the grading analysis,
it can be observed that natural sand that conforms to the zone
III as per the specification of IS 383 (1970) and for both coarse
aggregates, most of the particle ranged from 10 mm to 20 mm.
Therefore the particle size distribution of granite and
ferrochrome slag satisfied the requirement of IS 383 (1970).
The particle size distribution of both the aggregate were
similar, hence similar properties were expected. Table 4 shows
the different physical and mechanical properties of ferrochrome
slag and crushed granite as coarse aggregate and sand as fine
aggregate.
Fig. 5. Grading Curves of Sand and Ferrochrome Slag Aggregate
Table 4. Physical Properties of Aggregates
Ferrochrome slag
Properties
aggregates
Specific gravity 2.33
Water absorption (%) 1.22
Aggregate impact value (%) 18.73
Aggregate crushing value (%) 23.72
Flakiness index (%) 14.95
Elongation index (%) 10.5
Los Angeles abrasion (%) 22.41
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4.1.2 Specific Gravity
The specific gravity of ferrochrome slag and crushed granite
were tested under laboratory condition as per IS 2386 Part-3
(1963). It was observed that the specific gravity of ferrochrome
slag and crushed granite were 2.33 and 2.83 respectively. The
ferrochrome slag aggregate was little lighter than the crushed
granite.
4.1.3 Water Absorption
Aggregate volume covers about 3/4th of the concrete volume
which contributes much more to the entire porosity of the
concrete. Water absorption of aggregate affects the water cement
ratio which controls the workability and strength of concrete
(Asamoah and Afrifa, 2011). The water absorption of ferrochrome
slag and crushed granite were determined as per IS 2386 (Part-3)
(1963). The absorption percentage was calculated by the ratio of
decrease on mass to the mass of dry sample. The absorption of
ferrochrome slag aggregate was greater than that of granite
aggregate. From Table 4, it can observed that water absorption of
crushed granite and ferrochrome slag was within the acceptable
limit of IS 2386 (1968). Aggregates were used in SSD condition
while preparation of concrete, due to their different water
absorption capacity.
4.1.4 Aggregate Impact Value
Resistance of aggregates to impact loads is expressed as
aggregate impact value. The AIV was measured as per the test
methods of IS 2386 (Part-4) (1963). The aggregate particles
passing 2.36 mm sieve size were taken to evaluate the AIV. The
Indian standard 383 (1970) recommends AIV value of a
maximum limit of 45% by weight for coarse aggregates used for
concrete other than wearing surface and 30% by weight for
coarse aggregate used for wearing surface. The AIV of ferrochrome
slag aggregate was 18.73% which satisfied the requirement of
relevant code.
4.1.5 Aggregate Crushing Value
There are different aggregate response to gradually applied
compressive loads and sudden load impact in concrete. Therefore
aggregate crushing value of ferrochrome slag aggregate was
measured under a gradually impact load to check their resistance.
The ACV of ferrochrome slag and granite aggregate were found
23.72 and 20.1 respectively. The Indian standard 383 (1970)
Recommended
Granite aggregates Sand
value
2.83 2.7 2.5 – 3 (IS 2386, P-3)
0.2 0.73 0.1 – 2 (IS 2386, P-3)
15.3 - <45% (IS 383)
20.1 - <45% (IS 383)
18.5 - <30% (IS 383)
13.5 - <30% (IS 383)
18.6 - <50% (IS 383)
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 Jnyanendra Kumar Prusty, Sanjaya Kumar Patro, and Tribikram Mohanty

Table 5. Chemical Composition of Ferrochrome Slag Aggregate

Chemical [Present Study] Das et al. Panda et al.
compounds (%) (2014) (%) (2013) (%)
Al O
2 3 24.7 26 22.84
SiO 2 27.5 30 28.87
MgO 22.5 23 30.32
CaO 9.06 2 2.96
Cr O
2 3 9.34 15 8.32
FeO 3.81 4 2.85
NaO+K O 2 0.4 - -
Cr +6
0.00006 - -
Fig. 6. Load-deflection Behaviour of Conventional and Ferro-
chrome Slag Concrete Beams

recommends a maximum limit of 45% by weight for aggregates

used in concrete preparation. tension due to the application of external loads. In case of
reinforced concrete beams shear reinforcements are provided to
4.1.6 Los Angeles Abrasion support the design shear capacity of the beam and to attain its full
The hardness and the toughness of aggregates were carried out in flexural strength. At the time of application of load, when it
Los Angeles test. The abrasion values presented in Table 4 are 22.41 surpasses the flexural limit of the beam, flexural cracks start to
and 18.6 for ferrochrome slag and granite aggregate respectively. grow on the surface of concrete in the region of high moment
The Indian standard 383 (1970) recommended a maximum limit of that is middle third of the simply supported beams. Starting
50% by weight for the aggregates used in concrete. there, tensile reinforcement carries the loads after which a
change in slope can be observed in the load-deflection curve.
4.2 Chemical Properties After that, a straight bend may be obtained, when the tensile
Table 5 represents the chemical compounds of ferrochrome reinforcement yields. The further increment of load beyond the
slag aggregate tested in this present study and data collected yielding of steels, concrete cover crushed. By this time higher
from some literatures. It can be seen from the table that Al2O3, shear stresses are developed and any increase of load causes the
SiO2, MgO are the measure chemical compounds contributes breaking down of compressed concrete (Asamoah and Afrifa,
more than 70% of all chemical compounds. 2011).
Load-deflection behaviour of conventional concrete (BNC)
4.3 Workability and Mechanical Strength of Concrete and ferrochrome slag concrete (BFC) beams are presented in
Samples Fig. 6. It can be observed that at a constant load, the ferrochrome
The slump value, compressive and flexural strength of all four slag based beams deflected more in comparison to conventional
types of mixes are presented in Table 6. During the mixing of concrete beams. The ultimate load, first cracking load and their
concrete, it was observed that the slump value of ferrochrome ratio are presented in Table 7. As it observed that, the first crack
slag based concrete was more than the conventional concrete of all types of beams were appeared at a constant load of 20 MPa.
which may expected due to the higher water absorption of it. It However, the ultimate load carrying capacity of ferrochrome slag
can be observed that the compressive and flexural strength of concrete beams were higher than that of conventional concrete
ferrochrome slag based concrete mix (MFC1, MFC2) were beams.
higher than that of conventional concrete mix (MNC1, MNC2). Due to the superior performance of ferrochrome slag concrete
beams over conventional concrete beams, only ferrochrome slag
4.4 Phase-I: Comparison of Conventional Reinforced concrete beams were considered for the second phase testing by
Concrete Beams and Ferrochrome Slag Based Rein- using different l/d ratio and tension reinforcement ratio.
forced Concrete Beams
Beams may fail in shear, flexural compression or by flexural Table 7. Experimental Failure Load of Conventional and Ferro-
chrome Slag Concrete Beams
Table 6. Compressive and Flexural Strength of Conventional Beam First crack Ultimate load Ratio of first crack
Sl. No.
Concrete and Ferrochrome Slag Based Concrete No. load (MPa) (MPa) to ultimate load
Slump value Compressive Flexural strength 1 BNC1 20 60 0.33
Mix
(mm) strength (MPa) (MPa) 2 BNC2 20 60 0.33
MNC1 66 51.22 8.8 3 BNC3 20 60 0.33
MNC2 70 54.00 - 4 BFC1 20 70 0.29
MFC1 110 51.80 9.2 5 BFC2 20 70 0.29
MFC2 95 61.24 - 6 BFC3 20 70 0.29

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 Structural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams Made with Ferrochrome Slag as Coarse Aggregate

(B1-B12) the slope of the load-deflection of beams are fairly

linear before the first flexural crack is formed. The gradient of
the load- deflection curve of maximum number of beams are
similar which may be reasoned that, it depends on the flexural
strength of beams which are made with the same mix proportion.
From Fig. 7(a), and c it can be observed that the beam having
less percentage of reinforcement deflects more. From all figures
except Fig. 7(b), it can ensure that the deflection is less at the
maximum percentage of steel.

4.5.2 Cracking Loads and Ultimate Loads of Beams

Fig. 7. Load-deflection Behaviour of Beams (B1-B12)
4.5 Phase-II: Structural Behaviour of Ferrochrome Slag
Based RC Beams with Different l/d Ratio and Tensile
Reinforcement Ratio
4.5.1 Load-deflection Behaviour
The experimental load-deflection behaviour of ferrochrome
slag based RC beams are presented in Fig. 7(a)-(d). There are
four groups of plots containing similar span to effective depth
The theoretical flexural failure loads were calculated as per IS
456 (2000) and EUROCODE 2 (2007). The experimental flexural
failure loads, first flexural cracks, first shear cracks and theoretical
flexural failure loads are presented in Table 8. The theoretical
flexural failure loads were calculated based on steel yielding in
tension and concrete crushing in compression. Out of which the
smaller values were considered as the theoretical flexural failure
load for the respective beams. The design shear forces (V(IS),
V(ES)) as per IS 456 (2000) and EUROCODE 2 (2007) are
calculated by adding the contributions from design concrete
shear force (Vc) and the shear resistance from the vertical steel
stirrups (Vs) as presented in Table 9. Table 9 shows that the
experimental flexural failure load (Pult) is averaged 2.14 V(IS) and
2.00 V(ES). The first flexural cracks were observed at 0.46 Pult
whereas the first shear cracks observed at 0.8 Pult. Fig. 8 represents
the comparison of experimental and theoretically predicted
failure loads of ferrochrome slag based beams. It can be
observed that both Indian and European standard estimated very
close to the experimental failure loads. The experimental failure
load Pult is averaged 1.19 P′ult IS and 1.24 P′ult ES . Fig. 9 shows
( ) ( )

ratio and different percentage of steel reinforcement (0.45%, the comparison of experimentally observed first shear crack (PS)
0.71% and 1.02%). It can be observed that in cases of all beams and the predicted shear force as per design standards. It can be

Table 8. Experimental and Theoretical Failure Loads

Experimental load (kN) Theoretical flexural strength, P′ult (kN)
IS 456 :2000 EUROCODE 2 Pcr Pult Pult P
Beam no. F.F.C. F.S.C. Failure load ( P′ult (IS ) ) ( P′ult (ES ) ) ------- --------------
- ---------------
- -------s
Pcr Ps Pult
Pult P′ult IS( ) P′ult ES( ) Pult
Steel Concrete Steel Concrete
yielding crushing yielding crushing
B1 20 - 30 23.20 70.17 24.42 69.62 0.66 1.29 1.22 -
B2 18 - 40 36.22 70.17 38.2 69.62 0.45 1.10 1.04 -
B3 20 - 55 52.17 70.17 55 69.62 0.36 1.05 1.00 -
B4 20 - 34 27.06 81.86 28.5 81.24 0.58 1.25 1.19 -
B5 22 - 50 42.26 81.86 44.56 81.24 0.44 1.18 1.25 -
B6 28 65 70 60.86 81.86 64.17 81.24 0.40 1.15 1.09 0.92
B7 22 40 50 32.48 98.24 34.2 97.48 0.44 1.53 1.46 0.80
B8 28 - 60 50.72 98.24 53.48 97.48 0.46 1.18 1.12 -
B9 34 60 75 73.04 98.24 77 97.48 0.45 1.02 0.97 0.80
B10 28 - 58 40.60 122.80 42.75 121.85 0.48 1.42 1.35 -
B11 38 55 70 63.40 122.80 66.85 121.85 0.54 1.10 1.04 0.78
B12 40 70 95 91.30 122.80 96.25 121.85 0.42 1.04 0.98 0.73
Avg. 0.46 1.19 1.24 0.80
F.F.C. - First Flexural Crack, F.S.C. -First Shear Crack

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 Jnyanendra Kumar Prusty, Sanjaya Kumar Patro, and Tribikram Mohanty

Table 9. Shear Strength of Beams

Theoretical shear strength (kN)
a Ps Ps Pult Pult
Beam no. --- IS 456:2000 EUROCODE 2 ----------
- -----------
- --------
- ---------
-
d Vc IS
( ) V c ES
( ) V IS
( ) V ES
( )
Vc Vs V IS = Vc+Vs
( ) Vc Vs V ES = Vc+Vs
( )

B1 3.5 10.78 13.29 24.07 13.66 11.94 25.6 - - 1.24 1.17

B2 3.5 13.04 13.29 26.33 16.46 11.94 28.4 - - 1.51 1.4
B3 3.5 15.18 13.29 28.47 18.53 11.94 30.47 - - 1.93 1.8
B4 3.0 10.78 13.29 24.07 13.66 11.94 25.6 - - 1.41 1.32
B5 3.0 13.04 13.29 26.33 16.46 11.94 28.4 - - 1.89 1.76
B6 3.0 15.18 13.29 28.47 18.53 11.94 30.47 4.28 3.5 2.45 2.29
B7 2.5 10.78 13.29 24.07 13.66 11.94 25.6 3.71 2.92 2.07 1.95
B8 2.5 13.04 13.29 26.33 16.46 11.94 28.4 - - 2.27 2.11
B9 2.5 15.18 13.29 28.47 18.53 11.94 30.47 3.95 3.23 2.63 2.46
B10 2.0 10.78 13.29 24.07 13.66 11.94 25.6 - - 2.40 2.26
B11 2.0 13.04 13.29 26.33 16.46 11.94 28.4 4.21 3.34 2.65 2.46
B12 2.0 15.18 13.29 28.47 18.53 11.94 30.47 4.61 3.77 3.33 3.11
Avg. 4.15 3.35 2.14 2.00
a = shear span, d = effective depth

Fig. 8. Comparison of Experimental and Theoretical Failure Loads Fig. 10. Variation of Ultimate Loads at Different Span to Effective
of Ferrochrome Slag Based RC Beams Depth Ratio

beams such as B3, B6, B9, and B12 were expected to fail in
brittle manner due to the over reinforced case but it was not
observed at the time of experiment which may be caused due to
the higher compressive strength of concrete converted the beams
as under reinforced.

4.5.3 Deflection Under Service Load

Fig. 9. Comparison of Experimentally Observed First Shear Crack
and Theoretical Prediction of Shear Resistance of Ferro-
chrome Slag Based RC Beams
observed that in most of the cases, first shear cracks (PS) were not
formed. And in case of beams B6, B7, B9, B11, B12, the first
shear cracks (PS) were formed above 40 kN. It can be clearly
observed that both IS 456 (2000) and EUROCODE 2 (2007) are
more conservative to predict the shear resistance of the
ferrochrome slag based RC beams.
The relationship between the span to effective depth ratio and
ultimate load are presented in Fig. 10. It can be observed that
when l/d ratio decreased and at a particular percentage of tension
reinforcement, the experimental ultimate loads increased. The
Deflection of a structure should not affect the appearance and
efficiency of the structure. As per codal provision (IS 456, 2000;
EUROCODE 2, 2007), the final deflection under service load
including the effects of temperature, creep and shrinkage should
not normally exceed span/250. The experimental deflections of
beams under service load and their comparison with design code
requirement are presented in Table 10. In this study, only the
short-term deflection was observed. The results indicate that all
beams had fulfilled the code necessity. The ratio of experimental
service deflection to the maximum limit of codes (ΔExp/ΔCode)
varied between 25-62% which indicates that the IS 456 (2000)
and EUROCODE 2 (2007) predict deflection satisfactorily for
reinforced concrete beam made with ferrochrome slag aggregate.
Though only short-term deflection was observed, further need to
investigate the long-term deflections. It has been also observed

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 Structural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams Made with Ferrochrome Slag as Coarse Aggregate

Table 10. Comparison of Experimental Deflection Under Service ductility. Numerous specialists (Asamoah and Afrifa, 2011,
Load with Code Requirement Gunasekaran et al., 2013) expressed that the structural elements
Service Experimental Span/250 ΔExp with displacement ductility ranged of 3-5 have satisfactory
Beam -----------
load service deflection (both IS and ES
no.
(kN) ΔExp (mm) limit) ΔCode (mm) ΔCode ductility and can be considered for structural elements subjected
B1 20.00 4.25 8.4 0.5 to large displacement like sudden forces caused by an earthquake.
B2 26.66 2.95 8.4 0.35 From Table 11, it can be observed that the displacement ductility
B3 36.66 3.82 8.4 0.45 ratio was increased by decreasing the span to effective depth
B4 22.66 1.83 7.2 0.25 ratio. It can also be noticed that the ductility ratio decreased with
B5 33.33 3.73 7.2 0.51 increasing the percentage of reinforcement. From the literature
B6 46.66 4.53 7.2 0.62 (Gunasekaran et al., 2013; Teo et al., 2006; Ashour, 2000; Shuab
B7 33.33 2.38 6.0 0.39 and Ray, 1991; Lim et al., 2006; Kumar et al., 2007) the similar
B8 40.00 2.29 6.0 0.38 relation of ductility ratio with tensile reinforcement was observed,
B9 50.00 2.95 6.0 0.49 which was practically investigated in this experiment. Factors
B10 38.66 1.24 4.8 0.25 like good shock absorbance nature and toughness indicated by
B11 46.66 2.72 4.8 0.56 the impact value and crushing values of aggregate which were
B12 63.33 2.13 4.8 0.44 stated in Table 4 contribute to good ductility property of
aggregate. Larger Percentage of elongation of reinforcing steel is
also another factor for a good ductile behaviour of the reinforced
that there was no effect of percentage of tension reinforcement concrete beams (Kankam and Asamoah, 2002).
on the deflection behaviour.
4.5.5 Cracking Behaviour
4.5.4 Displacement Ductility If cracks develop on the surface of the reinforced concrete
Ductility is the capacity of structural elements to undergo elements, it detracted the appearance as well as affected the
inelastic behaviour and absorb energy. Ductility can be measured durability of concrete. At the time of deflection due to loading,
in terms of rotation, curvature and displacement (Asamoah and the crack occurs first in tension zone and its width gradually
Afrifa, 2011). In this experiment, the method of displacement increases as the loading increases and finally the structure fails.
ductility ratio was employed. Ductility values of tested ferrochrome Crack widths at every load increment were measured at the level
slag beams are presented in Table 11. The displacement ductility of tension reinforcement and crack patterns were assigned on the
ratio was calculated by evaluating the ratio of deflection at surface of the beam. It was observed that in all beams formation
ultimate load to the deflection at steel yielding load. From the of flexural cracks was in the pure bending region of the beam
load-deflection curve of beams when the slope changed, at that and in some cases; with further increment of loading, very small
point the respective deflection was taken as the deflection of
steel yielding. High ductility ratio indicates that a structural
element can withstand large deflection prior to failure (Gunasekaran
et al., 2013). It was seen in this study that the displacement
ductility ratio was in the range of 1.1 to 7.18, an average of all
beams that is more than 3 which indicates comparatively good

Table 11. Displacement Ductility Ratio of Beams

Yield stage Ultimate stage Displacement
Beam
no. Load Deflection, Load Deflection, ductility ratio
(kN) Δy (mm) (kN) Δu (mm) Δu/Δy
B1 15 1.94 30 6.50 3.35
B2 22 2.16 38 5.73 2.65
B3 38 4.04 55 6.45 1.61
B4 18 0.75 34 4.26 5.68
B5 20 1.48 50 7.00 4.72
B6 55 5.35 70 7.00 1.3
B7 26 1.18 50 8.00 6.77
B8 20 0.55 60 4.30 7.18
B9 55 3.35 75 5.45 1.62
B10 34 0.92 58 2.72 2.95
B11 65 4.2 70 6.00 1.42
B12 90 4.5 95 5.00 1.11 Fig. 11. Load-crack Width Relationships (B1 – B12)

Vol. 00, No. 0 / 000 0000 −9−

 Jnyanendra Kumar Prusty, Sanjaya Kumar Patro, and Tribikram Mohanty

Fig. 12. Relationship between Service Load and Average Crack

Width of Ferrochrome Slag Based RC Beams

diagonal shear cracks were formed. The load crack width

relationships of all beams are presented in Fig. 11. From the
figure, it may be observed that as the percentage of reinforcement
increased, crack width decreased. The crack width depends on
the flexural behaviour of concrete and percentage of tension
reinforcement (Shuab and Ray, 1991; Lim et al., 2006). In this
experiment though the flexural strength of all concrete is same, it
may be sure that the crack widths are controlled only due to the
increase in the percentage of tension reinforcement. The average
crack widths of all beams at service load are presented in Fig. 12.
Both IS 456 (2000) and EUROCODE 2 (2007) specified that the
crack width of any structural element under service load should
be less than 0.3 mm. From Fig. 12, it can be observed that except
Fig. 13. Crack Pattern of Beams
beam B3, B6 and B9, all beams were satisfied the codal
requirement.
were in the shear span which ensured that some of the beams
4.5.6 Mode of Failure of Beams (B1-B5, B8, B10) were failed in pure flexural failure and others
The mode of failure of a reinforced concrete beam depends on (B6, B7, B9, B11, B12) failed to combine flexure and shear
the amount of tension, shear and compression reinforcement. It failure. Flexural failure was observed when shear span to
also depends on span to effective depth ratio and compressive effective depth (a/d) ratio was more than 2.5 and flexural-shear
strength of concrete (Asamoah and Afrifa, 2011). The actual failure was observed when the same is less than 2.5 as expected.
failure modes and failure patterns of beams are presented in
Table 12 and Fig. 13. From Fig. 13, it can be observed that in all 5. Conclusions
cases of beam, maximum no of vertical cracks were formed in
the pure bending region and a very less no. of diagonal cracks Ferrochrome slag was used as coarse aggregate in concrete.
Flexural behaviour of eighteen reinforced concrete beams made
Table 12. Predicted and Experimental Failure Modes with ferrochrome slag and crushed granite as coarse aggregate
Failure modes was investigated and compared. All the beams were designed
Beam no. a/d
Predicted Actual with adequate shear resistance and induced to fail in pure
B1 3.5 Steel yielding Flexure flexural mode. Some of the pertinent behaviours observed from
B2 3.5 Steel yielding Flexure ferrochrome slag reinforced concrete beams were as follows:
B3 3.5 Concrete crushing Flexure 1. Compressive and flexural strength of ferrochrome slag
B4 3.0 Steel yielding Flexure based concrete were higher than that of conventional con-
B5 3.0 Steel yielding Flexure crete with fully replacement of ferrochrome slag as coarse
B6 3.0 Concrete crushing Flexure-shear aggregate.
B7 2.5 Steel yielding Flexure-shear 2. The ultimate load carrying capacity of ferrochrome slag
B8 2.5 Steel yielding Flexure concrete beams was higher than that of conventional con-
B9 2.5 Concrete crushing Flexure-shear crete beams. It has been seen that the ultimate failure loads
B10 2.0 Steel yielding Flexure of ferrochrome slag concrete beams were increased as the
B11 2.0 Steel yielding Flexure-shear span to effective depth ratio decreased.
B12 2.0 Concrete crushing Flexure-shear 3. From the ultimate load carrying analysis, it was observed

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 Structural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams Made with Ferrochrome Slag as Coarse Aggregate

that both Indian and European standard well predicted the from mining waste.” Materials and Design, Vol. 32, pp. 5132-5140,
flexural capacity of the ferrochrome slag based RC beams. DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2011.05.043.
4. However, both were more conservative to the actual shear Ashour, S. A. (2000). “Effect of compressive strength and tensile
reinforcement ratio on flexural behaviour of high-strength concrete.”
resistance capacity of the ferrochrome slag based RC beams.
Engineering Structures, Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 413-423, PII: S0141-
Higher shear resistance of all beams were observed due to 0296(98)00135-7.
proper interlocking of ferrochrome slag aggregates in con- British Standard Institution (BSI) (1997). Structural use of concrete -
crete. Part I: Code of practice for design and construction, BS 8110-1:
5. The short-term deflection was very well satisfied the limita- 1997, London, UK.
tions of IS 456 (2000) and EUROCODE 2 (2007). Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) (2000). Plain and reinforced concrete
6. Crack widths were observed with respect to ultimate and – code of practice. IS 456: 2000, Manak Bhavan, New Delhi.
service load; they agreed with the codal provisions which Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) (1989). Specification for 43 grade
ordinary Portland cement. IS 8112: 1989, Manak Bhavan, New
indicates ferrochrome slag could exhibit good durability
Delhi.
property in concrete. It was also seen with different beam Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) (1970). Specification for coarse and
specimens that percentage of tension reinforcement influ- fine aggregate. IS 383: 1970, Manak Bhavan, New Delhi.
enced the amount of crack width. Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) (1963). Methods of test for aggregates
7. All the beams exhibited good ductility and conveyed ade- for concrete, Part 3: Specific gravity, density, voids, absorption and
quate warning before failure. bulking. IS 2386-3: 1963, Manak Bhavan, New Delhi.
Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) (1963). Methods of test for aggregate
Notations for concrete, part-4: mechanical properties. IS 2386-4: 1963, Manak
Bhavan, New Delhi.
Choi, W. C. and Yun, H. D. (2013). “Long-term deflection and flexural
B= Breadth of beam behavior of reinforced concrete beams with recycled aggregate.”
D= Depth of beam Materials and Design, Vol. 51, pp. 742-50, DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.
L= Length of beam 2013.04.044.
l/d = Ratio of effective length to depth of beam Das, B. B., Das, S. K., and Parhi, P. K. (2014). “Characterization of
a/d = Ratio of shear span to depth of beam ferrochrome slag as civil engineering material.” All India Seminar
ø= Diameter of steel reinforcement on Advanced Construction Technology, pp. 54-59.
VIS = Shear force according to Indian Standard (IS 456) European Committee for Standardization (CEN) (2002). Eurocode 2:
Design of concrete structures - Part 1: General rules and rules for
VES = Shear force according to European Standard
buildings, European Standard prEN 1992-1-1, Brussels, Belgium.
(EUROCODE 2) Gencel, O., Koksal, F., Ozel, C., and Brostow, W. (2012). “Combined
VS = Shear resistance due to vertical steel stirrups effects of fly ash and waste ferrochromium on properties of
VC = Shear resistance due to concrete concrete.” Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 29, pp. 633-
Pcr = First flexural crack 40, DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.11.026.
Ps = First shear crack Gunasekaran, K., Annadurai, R., and Kumar, P. S. (2013). “Study on
Pult = Experimental failure load reinforced lightweight coconut shell concrete beam behavior under
P′ult IS = Theoretical flexural strength according to Indian flexure.” Materials and Design, Vol. 46, pp. 157-67, DOI: 10.1016/
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j.matdes.2012.09.044.
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Harman, C. N. (2007). Innovations in ferroalloys technology in India.
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ΔExp = Experimental service deflection characteristics of reinforcing steel bars milled from scrap metals.”
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Δy = Deflection at yield stage 00028-6.
Δu = Deflection at ultimate stage Kumar, P. S., Mannan, M. A., Kurian, V. J., and Achuytha, H. (2007).
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