Structural behavior of hollow-core reinforced self-compacting concrete beams

• Published in: SN applied sciences 2022-05, Vol.4 (5), p.1-11, Article 150
• Main Authors: Ismael, Murtada A., Hameed, Yahyia M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied and Technical Physics; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide emissions; Cement; Chemistry/Food Science; Concrete; Concrete elimination; Ductility; Earth Sciences; Engineering; Environment; Hollow-core; Ingredients; Materials Science; Natural resources; Optimization; Pipes; Recycled materials; Reduction; Reinforced concrete; Research Article; Self-compacting concrete; Structural behavior; Sustainability; Ultimate loads; Ultimate tensile strength
• ISSN: 2523-3963; 2523-3971
• DOI: 10.1007/s42452-022-05036-6

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the structural performance of hollow-core reinforced self-compacting concrete beams and performs an optimization analysis to select the optimum hollow-core beam section, as well as perform a sustainability analysis. The experimental program includes constructing and testing five beams with different longitudinal hollow-core diameters created by using recycled plastic pipes, as well as a solid beam, used as a reference specimen. The results show that it can reduce the concrete from self-compacting concrete beams with percentages from 5.4 to 14.2 with a decrease in the first crack load from 9.1 to 22.7% and the ultimate strength from 2.3 to 10.5% respectively compared to the reference solid beam. The optimization analysis shows that the beam of 46 mm diameter hollow-core is the optimum selection in the concrete volume reduction of 11.1%, cracking load, and ultimate load reduction of 13.6% and 9.3% respectively among all the other beam specimens. While the sustainability analysis reveals that, using longitudinal voids of diameters from 32 to 52 mm leads to a decrease in the embodied energy with percentages from 5.4 to 14.2% and carbon dioxide emission with percentages from 5.4 to 14.1% respectively. Increasing the longitudinal void diameter makes hollow-core self-compacting concrete beams more ductile and exhibits large deflections before failure occurrences. Article Highlights Tests on hollow-core reinforced self-compacting concrete beams are conducted. Recycled plastic pipes are used to create hollow-core in the beams and to reduce ineffective concrete. Reducing ineffective concrete contributes to sustainability with maintaining a good ratio of beam strength.