Performance of high strength concrete columns reinforced with hybrid steel fiber under different loading conditions

The strength and ductility of high strength concrete columns improve with the addition of steel fiber. This paper reports the behavior of circular High Strength Concrete (HSC) columns reinforced with Hybrid Steel Fibers (HSF) under different loading conditions. In this study, HSF consisted of a combination of macro steel fibers and micro steel fibers. A total of eight circular specimens of 205 mm diameter and 800 mm height were cast and tested. All specimens were reinforced with same amount of steel reinforcements. The specimens were divided into two groups of four specimens. Group RC (reference group) contained no steel fibers. Group HSF (hybrid steel fibers) contained 2.5% by volume of HSF. From each group one specimen was tested under concentric loading, one under 25 mm eccentric loading, one under 50 mm eccentric loading, and one under four-point loading. The results showed that the specimens reinforced with HSF achieved higher strength and ductility compared to RC specimens under different loading conditions. It was also observed that the presence of HSF delayed the spalling of the concrete cover.