Beam Test for Evaluating Applicabillity of High - Strength Reinforcement in Structure of Nuclear Facility

The high-strength rebar which has high yield strength can reduce the amount of rebar in concrete and widen its spacing so that it has better workability and higher economic benefits for the structure. However, the maximum yield strength of rebar is limited to 420MPa in the design criteria for structure of nuclear facility in Korea and USA. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power is progressing research to revise the limitation in the yield strength of rebar, which is suggested in the criteria of KEPIC and ACI, in order to apply 550 MPa high-strength rebar for the construction of a nuclear facility. This study is to review the applicability of high strength rebar in structure of a nuclear facility through a model beam test. After reviewing the shear capacity and reinforcement yield to assess the applicability of high-strength reinforcement in the structure of a nuclear facility, we make the following conclusions. When using high shear reinforcement with wider spacing, it has a similar shear capacity to normal reinforcement with narrower spacing. This means better workability and economic benefits can be achieved by widening the rebar spacing without brittle fracture in the elements. For future plans, the results of this test and supplementary test will be submitted to ACI349 committee as backup data to revise the standard for yield strength of high-strength rebar