Role of fibers on the performance of geopolymer concrete exterior beam column joints

The performance of steel fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete beam column joints under cyclic loading was investigated. The volume fraction of fibers considered were 0.25% (19.62 kg/m3), 0.5% (39.24 kg/m3), 0.75% (58.86 kg/m3) and 1% (78.48 kg/m3). A total of fifteen specimens were prepared and tested under reverse cyclic loading. Test results were analyzed with respect to first crack load, ultimate load, energy absorption capacity, energy dissipation capacity, stiffness degradation and load deflection behavior. Test results revealed that the addition of steel fibers enhanced the performance of geopolymer concrete beam column joints significantly. The joints were analyzed using finite element software ANSYS. The analytical results were found to compare satisfactorily with the experimental values.