Behavior of Fiber Reinforced High-Strength Concrete Under Direct Shear

Experimental and modeling studies were performed on two types of fibers, polypropylene and steel fibers, in conjunction with or without conventional stirrups. In general, fibers proved to be more effective in high-strength concrete than in normal strength concrete, increasing both ultimate load and overall ductility. For specimens with steel fibers, significant increases in ultimate load and ductility were observed. With polypropylene fibers, a lower increase in ultimate load was obtained when compared to the increase due to steel fibers. Ductility of the polypropylene fiber specimens was greater than that of the steel fiber reinforced specimens. In tests with combinations of fibers with stirrups, slight increases in ultimate load with major improvements in ductility were noted in comparison to the values for plain concrete specimens with conventional stirrups.