Numerical analysis of ultra-high strength fibre-reinforced concrete slabs

Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is one the latest developments in concrete technology, also known as ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). It is characterised by the use of high cement content, with very high mechanical strength, high durability, in most cases, a quantity of steel fibres. A hollow core slab, also known as a void slab, hollow core plank, or simply a concrete slab is a precast concrete slab frequently used in the construction of floors in multi-story apartment buildings. The presence of holes in the reinforced concrete is necessary to act as ducts for services as well as having the structural purpose of reducing the weight of the slabs. This study examines previous experimental research results for 26 slabs in terms of examining the behaviours of reactive powder concrete slabs with longitudinal hollow cores of various sizes under various loading situations by changing the a/d ratio. The ANSYS computer program was used to investigate the behaviours of some of these slabs, and parametric studies were used to study the effects of the compressive strength of the concrete, types of support, and different steel reinforcement diameters. The results obtained using finite element solutions showed good agreement with experimental results. (paper)