Bending failure performance of RC beams with openings reinforced by composite materials

The results of a study that looked at the experimental and numerical performance of ferrocement RC beams with openings reinforced with welded steel mesh, expanded steel mesh, fiber glass mesh, and polyethylene mesh separately are presented in this article. The research program included casting and testing of fourteen 200x100x2000mm reinforced concrete beams under flexural loadings. The primary factors that change are the type of reinforcing materials, the volume fraction of reinforcement, the quantity of mesh layers, and the quantity of stirrups. Understanding the effects of using novel, alluring materials to reinforce RC beams with openings is the main objective. Nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) was used to demonstrate the behavior of composite RC beams with openings using ANSYS-16.0 Software. A parametric study is also carried out to discuss the factors, such as the number of openings that can most significantly affect the mechanical behavior of the suggested model. The obtained experimental and numerical results showed that the FE simulations provided an acceptable level of experimental value estimation. Furthermore, it is significant to show that, in comparison to specimens reinforced with expanded or welded steel meshes, the strength gained of specimens reinforced with fiber glass meshes was reduced by about 38%. Additionally, using expanded steel meshes to reinforce RC beams with openings results in a 16% increase in strength when compared to welded steel meshes. In general, ferrocement beams with openings demonstrate higher-level ultimate loads and energy-absorbing capacity than conventional beams when tested under flexural loadings.