Steel-fibre-reinforced concrete coupling beams subjected to monotonic loading

An experimental programme on the monotonic tests of large-scale, steel-fibre-reinforced concrete (SFRC) coupling beams is reported in this paper. The ultimate shear strength and post-peak load behaviour of the beams are investigated with the span-to-depth ratio, shear reinforcement ratio, and steel fibre content in concrete as major parameters. The experimental results indicate that the inclusion of steel fibres in the concrete matrix helps to enhance the post-cracking tensile strength of concrete, thus increasing the shear capacity, and to improve significantly the post-peak load behaviour of the coupling beams, where large deformation can be attained without a substantial loss of shear strength, thus providing high damage tolerance that is required in the cases of seismic actions. The ultimate strengths and post-peak load performance of all SFRC specimens are evaluated and compared with the predictions of the design codes BS 8110 and Eurocode 2.