Investigating the behaviour of High-Strength Self-Compacted Reinforced Concrete Slender Beams experimentally and numerically

Elsibaey, Mohamed Omar

doi:10.21608/aujst.2025.406787.1206

Investigating the behaviour of High-Strength Self-Compacted Reinforced Concrete Slender Beams experimentally and numerically

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original papers

Author

Mohamed Omar Elsibaey

Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt.

10.21608/aujst.2025.406787.1206

Abstract

High-strength self-compacted reinforced concrete (HS-SCRC) slender beams are gaining popularity in modern construction due to their efficiency and reduced material usage. To comprehend the flexural behaviour, failure processes, and serviceability performance of HS-SCRC thin beams, this work combines experimental and computational analyses. These beams, characterized by high slenderness and compressive strength, exhibit complex behaviour under static loading. This study investigates their flexural behaviour, failure modes, and serviceability through experimental and numerical approaches. Ten beam specimens with varying compressive strengths (25, 30, 40 and 55 MPa), reinforcement ratios (4ø12, 6 ø12 and 4ø10) and shear span-to-depth ratios (1.75, 2 and 2.22) were tested under four-point bending. Finite element models were developed in ABAQUS using the Concrete Damaged Plasticity (CDP) model and embedded reinforcement to simulate the performance of beams. Numerical results closely matched the experiments, with average deviations of 6.86% in cracking load, 3.48% in ultimate load, and 8.82% in deflection. The validated models enabled extended parametric analysis, confirming their effectiveness in capturing nonlinear behaviour. The findings enhance understanding of HS-SCRC slender beams and support future developments in structural design and code provisions.

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