Effective flexural rigidities for RC beams and columns with steel fiber

Influences of different variables that affect the effective flexural rigidity of reinforced concrete (RC) members are not considered in the most seismic codes. Furthermore, in the last decades, the application of steel fibers in concrete matrix designs has been increased, requiring development of an accurate analytical procedure to calculate the effective flexural rigidity of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) members. In this paper, first, a nonlinear analytical procedure is proposed to calculate the SFRC members\' effective flexural rigidity. The proposed model\'s accuracy is confirmed by comparing the results obtained from nonlinear analysis with those recorded from the experimental testing. Then a parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of different parameters such as varying axial load and steel fiber are then investigated through moment-curvature analysis of various SFRC (normal-strength concrete) sections. The obtained results show that increasing the steel fiber volume percentage increases the effective flexural rigidity. Also it\'s been indicated that the varying axial load affects the effective flexural rigidity. Lastly, proper equations are developed to estimate the effective flexural rigidity of SFRC members.