The Influence of Steel Fiber

on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete:

An Experimental and Analytical Study

Ilango Sivakumar* and Sivagamasundari R**

In the present situation, construction industries are in thirst of introducing cost-effective

materials to the world in order to increase the strength of concrete structures.
Conventional concrete possesses very low tensile strength, limited ductility and little
resistance to cracking. These drawbacks can be set right by the inclusion of steel or
polymeric fibers. Hence, a study has been made on the mechanical properties such as
compressive strength, flexural strength and E for concrete of M40 and M50 grade
mixed with various percentages of steel fibers (hooked end and crimped steel fiber)
of 0.5% and 1% by volume of concrete. It is observed that for the same volume
fraction, concrete reinforced with the hooked end fiber showed improvement in all
properties as compared to that of crimped steel fiber. It is observed that compressive
strength, flexural strength and elastic modulus are on the higher side for 1% fibers as
compared to that produced from 0% and 0.5% fibers. Also, Artificial Neural Network
(ANN) model has been developed using the experimental data to predict the properties
of various parametric Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) specimens.

Keywords: Steel fibers, Compressive strength, Flexural strength, Elastic modulus, Artificial
Neural Network (ANN) model

Introduction
Concrete is the only major building material that can be utilized in the job site in a
plastic state. However, plain concrete without any reinforcing material behaves like
a brittle material, because of its low tensile strength properties. The randomly
distributed discontinuous steel fibers act as a viaduct across the cracks and provide
some post-cracking ‘ductility’, so that Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) can
carry significant stresses over a relatively large strain capacity in the post-cracking
stage. The real contribution of steel fibers is to increase the toughness of the concrete.
Generally, fibers are added to concrete to control cracking developed due to both
plastic shrinkage and drying shrinkage, to reduce the permeability of concrete and
thus to minimize bleeding of water. Generally, fibers do not increase the flexural
* Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Government College of Engineering, Bodinayakkanur
625582, Tamil Nadu, India; and is the corresponding author. E-mai: isk_kpm@yahoo.com
** Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar
608 002, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mai: siva_1667@yahoo.com

The
© 2019
Influence
IUP. AllofRights
Steel Fiber
Reserved.
on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete: 51
An Experimental and Analytical Study
strength of concrete but increase the impact, abrasion and shatter resistance in
concrete. The amount of fibers added to the concrete mix is expressed as a percentage
of total volume of the composite (concrete and fibers), termed volume fraction (Vf).
Vf typically ranges from 0.1 to 3%. Aspect ratio (l/d) is calculated by dividing fiber
length (l) by its diameter (d). Fibers with a non-circular cross-section use an equivalent
diameter for the calculation of aspect ratio. If the modulus of elasticity of the fiber is
higher than the matrix (concrete or mortar binder), they help to carry the load by
increasing the tensile strength of the material. Increase in the aspect ratio of the
fiber usually segments the flexural strength and the toughness of the matrix. However,
fibers which are too long tend to ball in the mix and create workability problems.
The fibers are treated as an aggregate with an extreme deviation in shape from the
rounded smooth aggregate (IS: 10262, 2009). The fibers interlock and entangle
around aggregate particles and considerably reduce the workability, while the mix
becomes more cohesive and less prone to segregation. The fibers are dispersed and
distributed randomly in the concrete during mixing and thus improve concrete
properties in all directions. In addition, fibers increase the post-peak ductility
performance, pre-crack tensile strength, fatigue strength and impact strength and
eliminate temperature and shrinkage cracks (IS: 456, 2000).
Vairagade and Bhedi (2015) stated that the strength and durability of concrete
can be changed by making appropriate changes in its ingredients like cementitious
material, aggregate and water by adding some special ingredients. Sastry and Rao
(2014) studied the material properties of steel fiber concrete with different percentage
replacement of cement with fly ash. Portland pozzolona cement concrete has limited
ductility, minor tensile strength and very slight resistance to cracking. Inherent
presence of internal micro-cracks in the concrete and its poor tensile strength are
due to propagation of such micro-cracks, which leads to brittle failure of concrete.
The brittleness of concrete increased with the increase in the strength of concrete.
By including steel fiber in the concrete mix, this weakness and brittleness can be
reduced. These steel fibers help in transferring of loads at internal micro-cracks called
SFRC. SFRC has gained acceptance for huge varieties of applications, namely, precast
elements, pavements, blast resistance structures, industrial floors, hydraulic
structures, nuclear vessels, bridge decks, marine structures and repair and
rehabilitation works. It has been reported that the addition of steel fibers to concrete
improves all engineering properties of concrete such as compressive strength, impact
strength, ductility, tensile strength and toughness (IS: 516, 1959; IS: 383, 1970; IS:
456, 2000; Altun and Haktanir, 2007; Yazici and Inan, 2007; IS: 10262, 2009; Ibrahim
and Bahar, 2011; Raikar and Karjinni, 2012; Sable et al., 2012; Shende et al., 2012;
Vikrant et al., 2012; Mahadik et al., 2014; Sastry and Rao, 2014; Shah and Sheth,
2014; Afroughsabet, 2015; Kansal et al., 2015; Ragi, 2015; Reddy and Reddy, 2015;
and Vairagade and Bhedi, 2015).

52 The IUP Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. XII, No. 3, 2019

 This study presents the experimental findings of the mechanical properties such
as compressive strength, flexural strength and E for concrete of M40 and M50 grade
mixed with various percentages of steel fibers (hooked end and crimped steel fiber)
such as 0.5% and 1% by volume of concrete. Also, an Artificial Neural Network
(ANN) modeling has been developed using the experimental data.

2. Materials and Methods

Ordinary Portland cement of 53 grade with a specific gravity 3.15 is used. Locally
available sand passing through 4.75 mm conforming to Zone III as per IS: 383
(1970) having a specific gravity 2.65 is used. Crushed aggregate with a maximum
size of 20 mm having the specific gravity value of 2.73 is used. Potable water is used
for the experimentation. Superplasticizer (Tec Mix 550) is used for improving the
workability of concrete and the mechanical bond between the fiber and matrix. The
main variables used are hook ended steel fiber (HK) and crimped type steel fiber
(CR) with an aspect ratio of 50. Dosages of fibers are taken as 0.5% and 1% constant
by volume of concrete. Figures 1 and 2 show the types of fibers used.

Figure 1: Hooked End Steel Fiber Figure 2: Crimped Steel Fiber

3. Results and Discussion

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the mechanical properties of SFRC
and to predict the properties with the help of ANN. In this regard, slump test,
compression test, flexure test and E for concrete test have been carried out to study
the workability, compressive strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of
SFRC, respectively.

3.1 Slump Test

The slump test on fresh concrete mix is carried out immediately after mixing the
SFRC to study the workability characteristics of SFRC. The test is performed using

The Influence of Steel Fiber on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete: 53

An Experimental and Analytical Study
slump test apparatus. The slump cone is filled with concrete in three equal layers.
Each layer is approximately one-third the volume of cone. Moreover, each layer is
tamped down with 25 strokes of tamping rod with pointed end in a uniform manner
and the concrete is leveled with a trowel, and any mortar leaked out between the
mold and base plate is cleaned away. The mold is then removed from the concrete
immediately by raising it slowly and carefully in a vertical direction. The slump is
measured immediately by determining the difference between the height of the
mold and that of the highest point of specimen. The test result for slump (M40 and
M50 grade of concrete) with mix ratio is given in Table 1.

Table 1: Slump Test Results

S. No. Specimen Mix Ratio Slump

1. M40 Grade of Concrete 1 : 1.7 : 3.4 : 0.40 65 mm

2. M50 Grade of Concrete 1 : 1.41 : 2.95 : 0.35 70 mm

3.2 Compressive Strength Test

Cube specimens of dimensions 150  150  150 mm are cast for M40 and M50
grade of concrete. Superplasticizer (0.6% to 0.8% by weight of cement) is added
to increase the workability of concrete. The required quantities of steel fibers are
calculated and added during mixing. The cube molds are filled with concrete mix.
Vibration is given to the molds using table vibrator. The top surface of the specimen
is leveled and finished. After 24 hours, the specimens are demolded and transferred
to curing tank wherein they are allowed to cure for 28 days. After 28 days curing,
these cubes are tested on digital compression testing machine as per IS: 516 (1959).
The failure load is noted. In each category, three cubes are tested and their average
value is reported. The compressive strength is calculated using Equation 1.

P
Compressive Strength (MPa) = ...(1)
A
The compressive strength results are shown in Table 2. From the test results, it is
observed that concrete mixed with hooked end fibers showed a higher compressive
strength than the other specimens.

3.3 Flexural Strength Test

For flexural strength test, beam specimens of dimension 100  100  500 mm are
cast. The specimens are demolded after 24 hours of casting and are transferred to
curing tank, where they are allowed to cure for 28 days. These flexural strength
specimens are tested under two-point loading as per IS: 516 (1959), over an effective
span of 400 mm divided into three equal parts and rest on flexural testing machine.
The load is normally increased and failure load is noted at cracking of beam specimen.

54 The IUP Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. XII, No. 3, 2019

 Table 2: Compressive Strength Test Results
Grade of Concrete Mix Type Compressive Strength (N/mm²)

CC 49.70

C HK0.5 50.12

M40 C HK1 55.13

C CR0.5 49.97

C CR1 52.37

CC 57.78

C HK0.5 58.31

M50 C HK1 60.93

C CR0.5 58.00

C CR1 58.84
In each category, three beams are tested and their average value is reported. The
flexural strength is calculated using Equation 2 and the test results for various
parametric specimens are presented in Table 3.
PL
Flexural Strength (MPa) = ...(2)
b  d1
where P – Failure load; L – Center-to-center distance between the support = 400
mm; b – Width of Specimen = 100 mm and d – Depth of specimen = 100 mm.
Table 3: Flexural Strength Test Results
Grade of Concrete Mix Type Flexural Strength (N/mm²)

CC 4.6

C HK0.5 5.87

M40 C HK1 6.73

C CR0.5 5.6

C CR1 6.07

CC 5.47

C HK0.5 6.67

M50 C HK1 7.27

C CR0.5 6.53

C CR1 7

The Influence of Steel Fiber on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete: 55

An Experimental and Analytical Study
 From the experiment, it is observed that concrete mixed with hooked end fibers
showed a higher flexural strength than the other specimens.

3.4 Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete

For elastic modulus test, cylinder specimens of dimensions 150  300 mm are cast
for M40 and M50 grade of concrete. After 24 hours, the specimen is demolded and
subjected to water curing for 28 days. After curing, the specimen is tested using a
calibrated universal testing machine. The specimen is fitted on universal testing machine
apparatus, loaded by UTM and values are noted for every increment of loading (1000N).
The strain values are noted from the strain indicator. The testing is continued till the
formation of crack. After having computed the recorded stress and strain values from
the measured loads and deformations data by dividing the loads and deformations by
the cross-sectional area of the cylindrical sample and by the initial length between the
screws of the compressometer embedded into the sample, respectively, the resultant
stress-strain relationship of each sample is determined. Test setup for E for concrete is
shown in Figure 3 and the results are shown in Table 4. Figures 4 and 5 show the
stress-strain curves for M40 and M50 grades of concrete respectively. As per IS code
method, the modulus of elasticity of concrete is:

E c  5000 . fck ...(3)

where Ec – Modulus of Elasticity of concrete and fck – Characteristic compressive

strength of concrete.

Figure 3: Test Setup for E for Concrete

56 The IUP Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. XII, No. 3, 2019

 Table 4: Test Result for Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete
Grade of Concrete Mix Type Modulus of Elasticity (N/mm²)

CC 30.9510³
C HK0.5 33.510³
M40 C HK1 35.6310³
C CR0.5 32.6310³
C CR1 34.5910³
CC 34.8410³

C HK0.5 37.6510³
M50 C HK1 40.6710³
C CR0.5 36.6710³
C CR1 38.5710³

Figure 4: Stress-Strain Curve Figure 5: Stress-Strain Curve

(M40 Grade) (M50 Grade)

35 45

40
30
35
25
Stress (N/mm 2 )

Stress (N/mm 2 )

30

20 25 CC
CC CC+0.5%HE
CC+0.5%HE 20 CC+1%HE
15
CC+1%HE CC+0.5%CR
15
CC+0.5%CR CC+1%CR
10
10
CC+1%CR
5 5

0
0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
Strain  10-3 Strain  10-3

3.5 ANN Modeling

ANN can be defined as a data processing system consisting of a large number of
simple and highly interconnected processing elements (artificial neurons) arranged
in three different layers: input layer, hidden layer and output layer. Figure 6 shows
the schematic representation of artificial neural network modeling.

The Influence of Steel Fiber on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete: 57

An Experimental and Analytical Study
 Figure 6: Schematic Representation of ANN Modeling

Input Hidden Layer Output

Layer Layer
Input  1

Input  2
Output
Input  3

Input  4

Using this program, a neural network model with one hidden layer is constructed,
trained and tested using the available test data. The data used in ANN model are
arranged in a format of eight input parameters that covers the cement, FA, CA,
water, superplasticizer, steel fiber, water-cement ratio and aspect ratio. The proposed
ANN model predicts the compressive strength, flexural strength and elastic modulus
of different parametric specimens. Training consists of exposing the neural network
to a set of known input-output patterns. The data are passed through the multilayered
feedforward neural network in a forward direction only. The multilayer feedforward
back propagation technique is implemented to develop and train the neural network
of the current study where the sigmoid transform functions are adopted. As the data
moves forward, it is subjected to simple processing within the neurons and along
the links connecting neurons. The network performs successive iteration to adjust
the weights of each neuron in order to obtain the target outputs according to a
specific level of accuracy. The adjusting process of neuron weights is carried out to
minimize the network error to a certain level, which is defined as a measure of the
difference between the computed and target output pattern. After the NN is
satisfactorily trained and tested, it is able to generalize rules and will be able to deal
with input data to predict output within domain covered by the training pattern.
Table 5 shows the comparison of experimental and ANN results of compressive
strength for M40 and M50 grade of concrete with addition of hooked end and crimped
steel fiber. Table 6 shows the comparison of experimental and ANN results for flexural
strength of M40 and M50 grade of concrete with addition of hooked end and crimped
steel fiber. Table 7 shows the comparison of experimental and ANN results for elastic
modulus of M40 and M50 grade of concrete with addition of hooked end and crimped
steel fiber. The results show the compressive strength predicted by ANN modeling
satisfactorily matches with the experimental results. Since the % of error is lesser
than the allowable value 20%, the values are acceptable.

58 The IUP Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. XII, No. 3, 2019

 Table 5: Comparison of Experimental and ANN Results
for Compressive Strength
Grade of Experimental Predicted
Mix Type % of Error
Concrete Result Strength

C HK0 49.70 49.6893 0.022

C HK0.5 50.12 52.0246 –3.80
C HK1 55.13 55.2027 –0.132
M40
C CR0 49.70 49.0808 1.260
C CR0.5 49.97 50.4458 –0.952
C CR1 52.37 52.5419 –0.328
C HK0 57.78 57.7430 0.064
C HK0.5 58.31 59.6864 –2.360

M50 C HKE1 60.93 59.5490 2.320

C CR0 57.78 57.6650 0.199
C CR0.5 58 58.9093 –1.568
C CR1 58.84 58.6837 0.1266

Table 6: Comparison of Experimental and ANN Results

for Flexural Strength
Grade of Experimental Predicted
Mix Type % of Error
Concrete Result Strength

C HK0 4.6 4.7638 –3.560

C HK0.5 5.87 5.6273 4.31
C HK1 6.73 6.73 0
M40
C CR0 4.6 4.4926 2.391
C CR0.5 5.6 5.1522 8.69
C CR1 6.07 6.0765 –0.107
C HK0 5.47 5.47 0
C HK0.5 6.53 6.1822 7.890

M50 C HKE1 7.27 6.27 15.998

C CR0 5.47 5.4637 0.115
C CR0.5 6.53 6.0881 7.258
C CR1 7.00 6.1698 13.456

The Influence of Steel Fiber on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete: 59

An Experimental and Analytical Study
 Table 7: Comparison of Experimental and ANN Results for E for Concrete

Grade of Experimental Predicted

Mix Type % of Error
Concrete Result Strength

C HK0 30.9510³ 30.9510³ 0

C HK0.5 33.510³ 34.02310³ –1.561
C HK1 35.6310³ 35.72810³ –0.275
M40
C CR0 30.9510³ 30.9510³ 0
C CR0.5 32.6310³ 33.20310³ –1.756
C CR1 34.5910³ 34.55110³ 0.113
C HK0 34.8410³ 34.8410³ 0
C HK0.5 37.6510³ 36.35410³ 3.565

M50 C HK1 40.6710³ 38.02310³ 6.962

C CR0 34.8410³ 34.8410³ 0
C CR0.5 36.6710³ 35.82510³ 2.359
C CR1 38.5710³ 36.89810³ 4.531

Note: CHK – Concrete with hooked end steel fiber and CCR – Concrete with crimped steel Fiber.

Conclusion
The following conclusions are drawn from the study. It is observed that for the same
volume fraction, the hooked end fiber shows improvement in all properties of concrete
as compared to the crimped steel fiber. It is observed that compressive strength,
flexural strength and elastic modulus are on the higher side for 1% fibers as compared
to that produced from 0% and 0.5% fibers. It has been noted that the compressive
strength of M40 and M50 grade of concrete increases about 11%, 5% and about 6%,
2% for an addition of 1% HKSF and CRSF, respectively, when compared to the
conventional concrete. The flexural strength of M40 and M50 grades of concrete
increases about 28%, 22% and 22%, 19% for an addition of 0.5% HKSF and CRSF,
respectively, when compared to the conventional concrete. Similarly, the flexural
strength of M40 and M50 grades of concrete increases about 46%, 32% and 17%,
11% for an addition of 1% HKSF and CRSF, respectively, when compared to the
conventional concrete. The modulus of elasticity of M40 grade of concrete shows an
increment of about 8% and 5.4% for an addition of 0.5% HKSF and CRSF and
similarly shows an increment of about 15% and 12% for an addition of 1% HKSF
and CRSF, respectively, when compared to the conventional concrete. Further, using
the experimental results, ANN models have been developed. It can be observed that
the experimental value satisfactorily matches with the ANN model value.

60 The IUP Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. XII, No. 3, 2019

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