FLEXURAL BEHAVIOUR OF FERROCEMENT R. C. COMPOSITE BEAMS

Abstract

Plain concrete is weak in tension and with greater use of high strength steel and the general acceptance of limit state design concept., control of cracking becomes as important as control of deflection in reinforced concrete structures. The cracking is undersirable from aesthetic point of view and it is also responsible for the corrosion of reinforcement. This dissertatioh presents the effect Of mesh reinforcement on flexural behaviour of . reinforced beams regarding deflection, flexs ral cracking and moment carrying capacity. Three types of beams were cast and tested i.e. three reinforced beams without mesh, three reinforced concrete beams with two layers of mesh in tension zone and three concrete beams reinforced with two layers of mesh only. Two point loading was applied to have a. zone of constant moment in the central part of beam. Observations for first crack load, ultimate load.: crack width, crack spacing and deflection were taken and compared to each other. A comparable study between theoretical and experimental values was also: carried out. [t was found, in general, that by introducing mesh layers to the reinforced concrete beams, advantages of both reinforced concrete and ferrocement were achieved..