Influence of fiber orientation and structural-integrity reinforcement on the flexural behavior of elevated slabs

In the last decades, research works regarding the behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) showed that the use of fibers enhances the mechanical behavior of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures both at Serviceability Limit State (SLS) and Ultimate Limit State (ULS). It is also well recognized that the design of these elements should take into consideration fiber orientation since the residual properties of the material can be different depending on the fiber inclination with respect to the cracking plane. This article presents the results of an experimental program aimed at evaluating the influence of fiber orientation on the flexural response of elevated slabs. Both Vibrated Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (VFRC) and Self-Compacting Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (SCFRC) were analyzed. Seven elevated slabs (250 x 250 x 15 cm) were cast following the most common casting process adopted in practice by using VFRC (2 specimens), SCFRC (4 specimens) and plain concrete (1 specimen). The post-cracking mechanical properties evaluated by three-point bending tests on 192 notched beams sawn from three FRC slabs showed that, for a given fiber type and amount, the fiber orientation in slabs was comparable varying both concrete workability and casting procedure. The structural behavior of the remaining four slabs was studied both by experimental tests and numerical analyses. The slabs were simply supported at the corners and subjected to center-point loading. Results showed that the response in flexure was related to the average residual properties obtained from small beams sawn from slabs. Finally, the importance of having a structural-integrity reinforcement in FRC elevated slabs under flexure was also underlined by the numerical study.