Dynamic tests of steel-fiber reinforced concrete frames

This paper reports on a research project carried out at the University of British Columbia in which the performance of steel-fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) frames was examined under dynamic loading. Two structures were tested, the first containing the required amount of confining hoops in the beam-column joint regions as set out by the code, while the second contained fewer confining hoops in the joint regions but was constructed with steel fiber concrete throughout the entire structure instead of plain concrete. It was found that the ductility levels achieved by the modified SFRC frames were comparable to those achieved by the conventionally detailed frames for similar displacement amplitudes. More energy was dissipated hysteretically per dynamic cycle by the SFRC frames than by the conventionally detailed frames for similar displacement amplitudes. The joint integrity of the SFRC frames was effectively maintained by steel fibers bridging across cracks in the concrete matrix.