Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, cilt.124, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
© 2023 Elsevier LtdIn this study, 27 singly reinforced concrete (RC) beams with and without steel fiber were tested under four-point monotonic loading. The 2D digital image correlation method was implemented to better trace the cracking evolution during the test of RC beams. The main parameters investigated were the concrete strength, reinforcement ratio, and steel fiber content. The results obtained from the experiments were evaluated in terms of flexural behavior, strain variation through the beam height, and the normalized total crack length at the ultimate load. The test results revealed that the most influential parameter on the flexural capacity was the reinforcement ratio, while the least effective one was the steel fiber content. The results also proved that test parameters significantly affected the normalized total crack length and thereby RC beams’ load-bearing capacity. An empirical equation was recommended for the prediction of normalized total crack length at ultimate load. Based on the fracture mechanics, then, an analytical approach was also developed in which the recommended equation of normalized total crack length was adopted. Finally, the performances of the proposed modified fracture model and the widely used ACI models were compared through the test results of singly reinforced RC beams compiled from the literature. It was found that theoretical capacities predicted by each model were in good agreement with the experimental records reported in the literature.