Flexural behaviour and ultimate bending capacity of high-volume fly ash reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

Large number of studies analyzed physical and mechanical properties of high-volume fly ash concrete, but only a few discussed its structural behavior. Material properties are an important input parameter for structural analysis, but they are insufficient for reliable conclusions to be made. This study analyses flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams made with 63% of low-calcium class F fly ash in total cementitious materials mass, using experimental method and analyzing current code predictions (EN 1992-1-1). The analysis was done by comparing beams made with two longitudinal reinforcement ratios, made with traditional cement concrete (OPC) and high-volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC), both corresponding to concrete class C30/37. Beams were tested in a four-point bending test measuring vertical displacement, crack development, concrete strains and longitudinal reinforcement strains. According to this research, the flexural performance of HVFAC beams is similar to flexural performance of corresponding OPC beams in terms of ultimate bending capacity. The significant difference was noticed regarding cracking extent that was higher in HVFAC beams. Available ultimate bending moments code predictions can be applied on HVFAC beams with similar precision and variation of results, like for OPC beams. However, this cannot be concluded for parameters depending on the cracking behaviour, like cracking moments or deflections. Results and analysis presented in this study indicate that HVFAC can be used in structural elements subjected dominantly to bending, like beams and slabs. More research regarding structural behavior of HVFAC using full-scale long-term tests is needed to develop larger database for reliability analysis.