BEHAVIOUR OF DEEP FERROCEMENT PLATES UNDER IN PLANE LOADING

Abstract

Ferrocement is a relatively new construction material, where the filler material cement mortar is reinforced with the ferrous materials generally wire meshes. Ferrocement is gaining wide acceptance as an efficient form of construction material for mostly thin wall construction due to its high strength and low weight. Extensive researches reported earlier(6) have revealed its characterstics as high tensile strength, ductility, impact resistance, resistance to crack propagation, flexural strength and durability etc. But very little information is available on shear strength of ferrocement beams and deep plates. An experimental study was planned to systematically study the behaviour of ferrocement deep plates under uniform inplane loading. The results of six plates of ferrocement, with two mesh layers and skeletal steel, of overall size 2000 x 900 mm are present. The thicknesses of the plates adopted were 40 mm, 30 mm, 20 mm. Two companion specimens were cast for each thickness and grouped as SA, SB, SC respectively. The specimens were tested as deep beams under inplane loading. Result based on this study indicates that no buckling takes place. Most plates have failed in shear cracks originating from support region, preceeded by flexural cracks in central half portion of plate. Crack widths in ferrocement plates was small within permissible limit of 0.1 mm, which decreases with iv increasing volume fraction and specific surface of mesh. The strain variation in deep beams was found to be nonlinear. The load factor for ferrocement plates is 1.55 - 1.73. More investigations are required for shear in ferrocement beams and deep plates.