Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684

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Construction and Building Materials

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Improving reinforcement of cement-based composite continuous beam

using adaptively distributed steel fibers
Xiaowei Wang a, Zhaoyu Zhan a, Ru Mu a, *, Longbang Qing a, *, Hangming Xu a, Guorui Cao a,
Shihua Wei b, Chuang Du c
a
School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
b
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
c
Henan Key Laboratory of Special Protective Materials, Luoyang 471023, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: To maximize the reinforcement of steel fibers in cement-based composite specimens, both the orientation and
Steel fiber reinforced cement-based composites volume fraction of the steel fibers were optimized according to the principal tensile stress everywhere in the
Adaptively distributed steel fiber specimen, which is defined as Adaptively Distributed Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-based Composites (AD-
Cementitious composite
SFRC). In this investigation, the steel fibers in AD-SFRC 2-span continuous beams were optimized, and the
Continuous beam
specimens were prepared and tested. The distribution of steel fibers, including both orientation and dosage,
Flexural properties
throughout the specimen was determined according to the principal tensile stress. In the preparation of AD-SFRC
2-span continuous beam, the orientation of steel fibers in the beam was aligned by applying electromagnetic
field, and the volume fraction of steel fiber was adjusted by casting specimen section by section and layer by
layer. Finally, the flexural properties of the 2-span continuous beam subjected to midspan loading were tested
and compared with that of specimens with random and other types of steel fiber distribution. The results show
that the cracking load, ultimate load and flexural toughness of AD-SFRC specimens are significantly improved.

1. Introduction of the composites can be significantly improved [12–14].

Cement-based composites have the disadvantages of low tensile
strength and high brittleness. The addition of uniform or random steel
fibers into cement-based composites can limit the generation and
development of cracks and improve the toughness of materials [1–3].
It’s well recognized that adding fibers mainly increases the tensile per­
formance of cement-based composites but has little effect on compres­
sive strength. Studies have shown that the uniform or random steel
fibers in cement-based composites can significantly improve the flex­
ural, tensile and fracture properties and prevent brittle failure [4–9].
However, in traditional Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-based Compos­
ites (SFRC), the steel fibers are randomly dispersed, and the orientation
efficiency factor along one certain direction is about 0.4 [10–11], which
means that the reinforcement effect of steel fibers is only about 40 %.
Previous studies have confirmed that the steel fiber orientation signifi­
cantly affects the mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced cement-
based composites. If the orientations of all steel fibers are consistent with
the principal tensile stress direction, the tensile and cracking resistance
In order to improve the reinforcement effect of steel fibers, the
Aligned Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-based Composites (ASFRC) has
been successfully prepared using a uniform magnetic field generated by
an electrified solenoid coil, which controls the orientation of the steel
fibers to be aligned along a fixed orientation [15]. The results showed
that the fiber orientation efficiency factor is greater than 0.9, when the
orientation of steel fibers and principal tensile stress of materials are the
same. Compared with SFRC, the tensile, flexural, shear and fracture
properties of ASFRC can be significantly improved [16–21].
In structural members such as cement-based composite pipes, when
they are subjected to internal pressure, the internal principal tensile
stress is distributed annularly, which requires the steel fibers to be
annularly distributed to enhance the reinforcement effect [22]. In sim­
ply supported beam with four-point bending, the direction of principal
tensile stress is horizontal at the midspan bottom and that is inclined
upward near the supports. If all the steel fibers are distributed along the
longitudinal direction of the beam, the reinforcing efficiency of the steel
fibers at the midspan bottom is high, whereas the fibers near the

* Corresponding authors.
E-mail addresses: ru_mu@hotmail.com (R. Mu), qing@hebut.edu.cn (L. Qing).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.128684
Received 24 March 2022; Received in revised form 1 August 2022; Accepted 2 August 2022
Available online 8 August 2022
0950-0618/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
X. Wang et al.
supports take no effect. It is necessary to align the steel fibers along the
principal tensile stress direction at all places in the beam, that is, to form
a Full-field Aligned Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-based Composites
(FA-SFRC) to further improve the reinforcing efficiency of steel fibers
[23].
The FA-SFRC beam has excellent mechanical performance [23].
However, except for the direction of principal tensile stress, the
magnitude of principal tensile stress also changes with position of the
member, and some regions of the member are in compression. Steel fi­
bers mainly enhance the tensile properties of cement-based composites,
and have little effect on compressive properties. For example, in a simply
supported 2-span continuous beam shown in Fig. 1, a concentrated load
is applied at the middle of each span. The tensile stress at the bottom of
the midspan section is high. The closer it is to the neutral axis, the lower
the tensile stress is, while the top of the section is in compression. The
feature of the stress distribution around the middle support section is
opposite. If the steel fibers are evenly distributed in the continuous
beam, the fibers in the compression area have no effect of reinforcement
at all. If the orientation of all fibers in the member is consistent with the
direction of principal stress everywhere, and the areas with high and
medium tensile stress are reinforced with high and medium volume
fraction of steel fibers, respectively, while the compression zone is
reinforced with no or much lower volume fraction of steel fibers, that is,
the steel fibers are adaptively distributed according to both the magni­
tude and direction of the principal tensile stress, all the steel fibers take
effect of reinforcement effectively. This may significantly improve the
reinforcing efficiency of steel fibers and further improve the mechanical
properties of materials or members.
In this paper, the optimization, preparation and mechanical prop­
erties of Adaptively Distributed Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-based
Composites (AD-SFRC) member were studied. Firstly, the distribution
of both direction and magnitude of principal tensile stress of a two-span
continuous beam under the same concentrated load in each span was
analyzed through finite element modelling. Then the orientation and
dosage of steel fibers at different place of the beam were optimized ac­
cording to the distribution of the principal tensile stress, respectively,
and the distribution of steel fibers in the AD-SFRC beam specimen was
obtained. Thereafter, the AD-SFRC beam specimens were prepared by
aligning steel fibers using a self developed electromagnetic field and
casting the beam section by section and layer by layer to obtain semi-
quantitative distribution of steel fibers similar to the optimization.
Finally, the mechanical properties of continuous beams made of AD-
SFRC were tested and compared with that of specimens with random
and other types of steel fiber distribution through the flexural test of
continuous beams.
2. Optimization of the distribution of steel fibers in AD-SFRC 2-
span continuous beams
2.1. Optimal orientation of steel fibers in continuous beams
The steel fiber at any position of AD-SFRC continuous beams is
required to be consistent with the direction of the principal tensile stress.
Consider a 2-span continuous beam with the section size 50 mm × 100
mm, total length 700 mm and each span 300 mm, and subjected to the
Fig. 1. Principal tensile stress of continuous beam without steel fibers.
2
Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684
same concentrated load at the middle of each span. The principal tensile
stress of the continuous beam can be obtained through finite element
analysis (Fig. 1). It can be seen that the length and direction of the short
line in Fig. 1 represent the magnitude and direction of the principal
tensile stress, respectively. The results show that the principal tensile
stress at the bottom of the two midspan sections and the top of the
middle support section is high, and flexural failure may occur in the two
sections. The principal tensile stress at the four oblique sections of the
support is also high, which may cause shear failure. These seven sections
are critical sections and need to be reinforced with steel fibers. The di­
rection of the principal tensile stress is horizontal at the bottom of the
midspan and at the top of the middle support. In the area between the
midspan section and the oblique section of the support, the direction of
the principal tensile stress is inclined upward. According to the analysis
above, the principal tensile stress trace line, l, which is composed up of
the maximum principal tensile stress point at all cross sections along the
longitudinal axis of the beam, can be determined as shown in Fig. 1. The
orientation of the steel fibers at each section along the longitudinal
section is the same as the direction of principal tensile stress trace line.
So, the desired orientation of steel fibers in the beam is obtained as
shown in Fig. 2.
2.2. Optimal distribution of volume fraction of steel fibers at different
place of continuous beams
The magnitude of the principal tensile stress of the continuous beam
without steel fibers is shown in Fig. 3, which is from finite element
analysis. In the AD-SFRC continuous beam, the local dosage of steel fi­
bers is required to be adjusted according to the magnitude of the prin­
cipal tensile stress. However, at present the dosage of steel fibers cannot
be accurately adjusted in the progress of conventional casting. So, the
distribution of steel fibers in the AD-SFRC specimens is simplified. In the
simplification, the stress state of specimen is classified into 3 types ac­
cording to the stress distribution on the cross-section of the beam. When
subjected to concentrated load at midspan, the bottom, top and neutral
axis regions of the cross-section of the beam are in tension, compression
and zero stress, respectively. With the increase of load, the magnitude of
the stresses will increase. When the tensile stress reaches its tensile
strength, the cracking will occur. Once cracked, the neutral axis moves
upward and the regions in tension, compression and free change as well.
So, at midspan the regions at the bottom, neutral axis and top are
considered as high, medium and low tensile stress regions, respectively.
At the section of middle support of the continuous beam, the high,
medium and low stress region is inverse as midspan. If more steel fibers
are dispersed at the area where the tensile stress is potentially high, it
will be helpful for resisting tensile stress and cracking, and hence will
increase the load capacity.
In the preparation of the specimen, the volume fraction of steel fiber
in the high, medium and low tensile stress areas will be high, medium,
and low, respectively, which is a semi-quantitative distribution of steel
fiber. The sketch of the steel fibers distribution is shown in Fig. 2. Two
series of specimens with different average volume fraction of steel fiber
will be analyzed and tested. The volume fractions of steel fiber for the
two series are 0.9 % and 1.4 % in average, respectively. For the series
with average volume fraction of steel fiber 0.9 %, the corresponding
X. Wang et al.
Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of adaptively distributed steel fibers.
Fig. 3. Contour of principal tensile stress of continuous beam without steel fibers (unit: mm).
volume fraction of steel fiber for high, medium and low areas are 1.5 %,
1.0 % and 0.5 %, respectively, while that for the series with average
volume fraction 1.4 % are 2.0 %, 1.5 % and 1.0 %, respectively. The
reasonable range of volume fraction of steel fiber in cement-based
composites usually is from 0.3 % to 2.0 %. The volume fractions adop­
ted in this range exactly fall in this range as the highest dosage 2.0 %
reaches the upper limit and lowest dosage of 0.5 % is just a little above
the lower limit.
3. Preparation of AD-SFRC two-span continuous beams
A magnetic field with the direction of magnetic line consistent with
the optimal orientation of steel fiber was designed to drive steel fibers to
be distributed along the optimal orientation. And the semi-quantitative
distribution of steel fibers was achieved by casting fresh cement-based
composites section by section and layer by layer. Then, the steel fibers
reinforced 2-span continuous beam specimens that meet the optimiza­
tion distribution were prepared, and the fibers distribution in the critical
section of the specimen was checked to verify the feasibility of the
preparation method.
3.1. Electromagnetic field for aligning steel fibers in continuous beams
In order to align steel fibers in the continuous beam to consistent
with the optimal orientation, the direction of magnetic line must be
consistent with the optimal orientation of steel fibers determined by
FEM analysis. After a number of trial tests, the electromagnetic field was
developed by using seven solenoid coils. The seven solenoid coils are
located exactly at the seven critical cross sections as mentioned
Fig. 4. Setup of electromagnetic coil.
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Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684
previously, and the angle of the coils are adjusted to ensure that the
direction of the magnetic lines at every critical section to consistent with
the optimal orientation of the steel fibers (Fig. 4). The magnetic fields of
adjacent coils interfere with each other, as the consequence, the mag­
netic lines between every-two adjacent coils are curves and consistent
with optimal orientation of steel fibers between the critical sections as
well as shown in Fig. 4. All the electromagnetic coils are self-made using
enameled copper wire with diameter 1.5 mm. Each coil is 50 turns of
copper wire. When the coil is connected to a DC with 30 voltage, the
current is 12 A and uniform magnetic field is generated in the inner area
of the coil with induction about 0.03 Tesla.
3.2. Semi-quantitatively distributing steel fibers in continuous beam
specimens
In the process of casting, to achieve the accurate fiber dosage dis­
tribution, the casting of the specimen was performed by 3 layers and 5
sections, i.e., in total 15 regions and each region has specific fiber dosage
determined from previous stress analysis. Before casting, using partition
board with thickness 6 mm isolate the horizontal regions with different
fiber dosage as shown in Fig. 5, and the dosage of steel fibers of each
partition was marked on the outside surface of the mould in advance. In
the preparation of the beam specimens, the casting along the height of
the specimens was proceeded by three layers, and along the longitudinal
direction, the five sections have different fiber dosage for each layer. In
each partition, the fleshly mixed mixture with corresponding specific
volume fraction of steel fibers was poured.
X. Wang et al. Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684

Fig. 5. Casting partitions and layers of continuous beam specimen.

3.3. Raw materials and mix proportions for specimens

Table 2
Volume fraction of steel fibers in various specimens.
The raw materials used in the tests were Ordinary Portland cement
with grade of P⋅O42.5, river sand with fineness modulus of 2.5, powder Specimen Volume fraction of steel fibers Remark
type High Medium Low (Average steel
poly-carboxylic superplasticizer and copper-coated micro steel fibers.
principal principal principal fiber volume
The steel fiber is with diameter of 0.2 mm and length of 13 mm, the tensile stress tensile stress tensile stress fraction (Vf))
aspect ratio 65, and the tensile strength greater than 2000 MPa. The mix area area area
proportions with different volume fraction of steel fiber are shown in AD-SFRC- 1.5 % 1.0 % 0.5 % 0.9 %
Table 1. The workability of the mixture was controlled according the 1
experience in previous investigation on the preparation of aligned steel AD-SFRC- 2.0 % 1.5 % 1.0 % 1.4 %
fibers reinforced cement-based composite [15,22], i.e., by adjusting the 2
FA-SFRC-1 0.9 % 0.9 % 0.9 % 0.9 %
dosage of superplasticizer keep the plain fresh mixture (without steel
FA-SFRC-2 1.4 % 1.4 % 1.4 % 1.4 %
fiber) having sinking depth in the range of 90–120 mm (tested following ASFRC-1 0.9 % 0.9 % 0.9 % 0.9 %
the Chinese standard for test method of performance on building mortar
(JGJ/T70-2019) [24]). In this test, the sinking depth of the freshly ASFRC-2 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1.4%
SFRC-1 0.9 % 0.9 % 0.9 % 0.9 %
mixed mixture is 115 mm. With the addition of steel fibers, the sinking
SFRC-2 1.4 % 1.4 % 1.4 % 1.4 %
depth reduces. Reference 0% 0% 0% 0%
The workability (sinking depth) of mixtures with various dosage of
steel fibers, the compressive strength of the matrix (without steel fiber),
and the flexural tensile strength of mixtures with aligned (denoted as A) off the vibration table and then turn off the magnetic field after the vi­
and random (R) steel fiber are also listed in Table 1. bration table stops completely. The mould was then put on the flat
In total 9 groups of specimens were prepared, including four types of ground. Smooth the surface of the specimen and put it on the ground for
distribution and two dosages of steel fibers. The four types of fiber dis­ 24 h before removing the mould. The specimens were then placed in a
tribution are adaptively distributed (AD-SFRC), full-field aligned (FA- standard curing room for 28 days before testing.
SFRC), unidirectionally aligned (ASFRC) and random distribution At the same time, the continuous beams made of Full-field Aligned
(SFRC), respectively, and the two volume dosages of steel fibers are 0.9 Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-based Composites were also prepared.
% and 1.4 %, which are the average volume fraction of the steel fibers in The method is similar to the method mentioned above, which is realized
the whole specimen. The additional group is specimens without steel by the magnetic field, but the casting of the specimen is by conventional
fibers prepared as a reference. The dosage of steel fibers in different pouring. The preparation process of continuous beams made of unidi­
areas of all 9 group specimens is shown in Table 2. Three specimens were rectionally Aligned Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-based Composites
prepared for each group, and the test results of each group are the and Conventional Randomly distributed Steel Fiber Reinforced Cement-
average of the test results of the three specimens in the group. based Composites can refer to literature [15].

3.4. Casting of AD-SFRC continuous beams 3.5. Distribution of steel fibers in beams

The casting of AD-SFRC continuous beams was carried out by three
layers along the height of beam (the height direction of the mould). After
the casting of each layer, the fresh mixture was vibrated on a vibration
table for 5–10 s. When all 3 layers were poured, take off the partition
boards, and vibrate for more 50–60 s, meanwhile, the electromagnetic
field was applied to align the steel fibers in the mixture. During the vi­
bration, the section of the middle support of the specimen must be
located in solenoid coils in the middle of Fig. 4. After vibration, switch
In order to verify the orientation and local dosage of steel fibers in
continuous beam, the specimen with an average volume fraction of steel
fiber of 0.9 % was split along the midspan normal section and the
oblique section of the middle support (the part with indication of
“critical sections” in Fig. 2). The distribution of fibers on the section is
shown in Fig. 6. It can be seen from Fig. 6 (d) that the local dosage of
steel fibers in the midspan normal section of the AD-SFRC specimen is
high at the bottom, medium in the area near the neutral axis, and low at

Table 1
Mix proportions of steel fiber reinforced cement-based composites and strength.
Volume fraction of steel Water Cement River Superplasticizer Steel Sinking Compressive Flexural strength Flexural strength
fiber (kg/ (kg/ sand (kg/m3) fiber depth strength (A) (R)
m3) m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (mm) (MPa) (MPa) (MPa)

0 265 736 1104 3.6 0 115 53.2 6.63 6.63

0.5 % 265 736 1104 3.6 39 85 – 8.98 7.42
1.0 % 265 736 1104 3.6 78 70 – 12.76 9.10
1.5 % 265 736 1104 3.6 117 45 – 16.54 10.78
2.0 % 265 736 1104 3.6 156 30 – 20.32 12.46

4
X. Wang et al.
Fig. 6. Fibers distribution on midspan normal section and inclined section of
specimens with steel fibers volume fraction of 0.9% in average.
the top. On the oblique section, the local dosage of steel fibers of AD-
SFRC specimen is high in the region near the neutral axis, and low in
the region near the edge of the section. Compared with the AD-SFRC
specimens, the specimens with other fiber distribution types have
basically the same fiber local dosage in the normal section and the
oblique section. It can be seen from Fig. 6 (c) and (d) that the fibers in
AD-SFRC and FA-SFRC specimens are basically horizontal on the mid­
span normal section, and inclined upward on the inclined section of the
middle support. The steel fibers in the ASFRC specimens are horizontal
in both the normal and oblique sections. The steel fibers in the SFRC
specimen are randomly distributed in the normal and oblique sections.
By comparing Fig. 6 (d) with (a), (b), (c), the orientation of the steel fiber
is effectively oriented by the magnetic field, making it consistent with
the optimized orientation. The method of casting section by section and
layer by layer effectively controls the semi-quantitative distribution of
steel fibers, making it consistent with the optimal distribution of steel
fibers.
4. Mechanical properties of AD-SFRC continuous beams
4.1. Test procedures
The electro-hydraulic servo universal testing machine was used for
loading, and the test setup of continuous beam is shown in Fig. 7.
Displacement loading was used with a constant rate of 0.1 mm/min. In
the test, the total load was recorded through the load sensor with a range
of 100 kN. The load of the testing machine was transferred to a load
sensor, and then equally applied to the two midspan of the continuous
beam. In order to monitor the midspan deflection of the specimen and
the displacement of the middle support, three LVDTs were fixed at the
corresponding points through a frame on the side surface of the
specimen.
4.2. Effect of fibers distribution on total load-midspan deflection of
continuous beam
The total load-midspan deflection curves of the specimens are shown
Fig. 7. Test setup for flexural tests of continuous beam.
5
Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684
in Fig. 8. It can be seen that the total load-midspan deflection curve of
AD-SFRC specimen is basically coincident with that of other specimens
with fibers distribution type, but the maximum height and peak value of
the initial rising section of AD-SFRC specimen are obviously higher, and
the descending section of the curve is also significantly higher than that
of FA-SFRC, ASFRC and SFRC specimens. The curves of AD-SFRC spec­
imen are fuller and the toughness of AD-SFRC specimens are better. At
the same time, it can be seen from Fig. 8 that the curve of AD-SFRC
specimen declines gently after peak load, while the curves of other
specimens with fibers distribution types decline sharply, which also
indicates that the brittleness of specimens can be reduced after the
approach of adaptive distribution of steel fibers.
4.3. Comparison of cracking and ultimate load
The initial cracking load and ultimate load of the specimen can be
obtained from the total load-midspan deflection curve of the specimen
as shown in Fig. 9. The initial cracking load is determined according to
the change of the slope of the total load-midspan deflection curve. The
load, corresponding to the slope of the ascending section of the curve
with obvious changes, is the initial cracking load. The load corre­
sponding to the highest point of the curve is the ultimate load.
When the average volume fraction of steel fibers is 0.9 %, the
cracking load of AD-SFRC-1 specimen is 15.4 %, 43.1 %, 57.0 % and
106.6 % higher than that of FA-SFRC-1, ASFRC-1, SFRC-1 and Reference
specimens, respectively. Compared with FA-SFRC-1, ASFRC-1, SFRC-1
and Reference specimens, the ultimate load of AD-SFRC-1 specimen
increases by 15.0 %, 46.3 %, 101.9 % and 165.8 %, respectively. For the
steel fibers volume fraction of 1.4 % in average, the cracking load of AD-
SFRC-2 specimen increases by 36.7 %, 64.1 %, 82.2 % and 187.2 %
compared with that of FA-SFRC-2, ASFRC-2, SFRC-2 and Reference
specimens, respectively. The ultimate load of AD-SFRC-2 specimen in­
creases by 14.0 %, 30.8 %, 97.7 % and 211.7 % compared with that of
FA-SFRC-2, ASFRC-2, SFRC-2 and Reference specimens, respectively.
When the average volume fraction of steel fibers is different, the
cracking load of AD-SFRC-1 specimen is only 2.2 % lower than that of
FA-SFRC-2 specimen, and the ultimate load of AD-SFRC-1 specimen is
only 2.8 % lower than that of FA-SFRC-2 specimen. The cracking load of
AD-SFRC-1 specimen is 18.1 % and 31.1 % higher than that of ASFRC-2
and SFRC-2 specimens, respectively. The ultimate load of AD-SFRC-1
specimen is 11.6 % and 68.6 % higher than that of ASFRC-2 and
SFRC-2 specimens, respectively.
It is seen from Fig. 9 that, for specimens with the same volume
fraction of steel fibers in average, the initial cracking load and ultimate
load of AD-SFRC specimens are significantly increased compared with
those of other fiber distribution types. This indicates that the rein­
forcement efficiency of steel fibers can be significantly improved by
X. Wang et al. Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684

Vf Vf
Fig. 8. Total load-midspan deflection curve of continuous beam.

Vf Vf
Fig. 9. Cracking load and ultimate load of continuous beam.

Vf Vf
Fig. 10. The flexural toughness of the specimen.

6
X. Wang et al. Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684

distributing more fibers in the area with high tensile stress under the
condition that the total amount of steel fibers in the specimen remains
unchanged.
4.4. Flexural toughness
Toughness is usually used to quantitatively express the ability of
materials, members or structures to work safely with cracks after
cracking, the ability to absorb energy and the ability to produce large
deformation without instability and failure. The toughness index T150 is
usually used to assess the flexural toughness of steel fibers reinforced
continuous beam [25], that is, the area under the total load-midspan
deflection curve when the midspan deflection is 1/150 of the span
length of the specimen. Based on the load-midspan deflection test results
shown in Fig. 8, the T150 value of various specimens in this investiga­
tion were calculated and shown in Fig. 10.
From Fig. 10, it can be seen when the average volume fraction of
steel fiber in the specimen is 0.9 %, the flexural toughness of AD-SFRC-1
specimen is 18.0 %, 49.0 %, 152.9 % and 70times higher than that of FA-
SFRC-1, ASFRC-1, SFRC-1 and reference specimens, respectively. For the
steel fibers volume fraction of 1.4 % in average, the flexural toughness of
AD-SFRC-2 specimen is 17.6 %, 40.8 %, 133.8 % and 82times higher
than that of FA-SFRC-2, ASFRC-2, SFRC-2 and reference specimens
respectively. When the average volume fraction of steel fibers in the
specimens is different, the flexural toughness of AD-SFRC-1 specimen is
1.6 % higher than that of FA-SFRC-2 specimen. Compared with the
ASFRC-2 % and SFRC-2 % specimens, the flexural toughness of AD-
SFRC-1 is increased by 21.7 % and 102.0 %, respectively.
It is seen from Fig. 10 that, for specimens with the same dosage of
steel fibers, the flexural toughness of AD-SFRC specimen is significantly
improved compared with that of other types of fiber distribution. This
indicates that more steel fibers can be used to prevent cracking and
strengthen the specimen by distributing more steel fibers in the unfa­
vorable area under the condition that the total amount of steel fibers in
the specimen remains unchanged.
clear span of sample (m), d is sample height (m). The f150 value of
various specimens in this investigation were calculated and shown in
Fig. 11 and Table 3.
From Fig. 11 and Table 3, it can be seen that the residual strength of
AD-SFRC-1 is always higher than that of FA-SFRC-1, ASFRC-1 and SFRC-
1. For instance, for the steel fibers volume fraction of 1.4 % in average,
the residual strength of AD-SFRC-2 is 18.7 %, 38.3 % and 137.3 % higher
than that of FA-SFRC-2, ASFRC-2 and SFRC-2, respectively. It is also
observed that the residual strength of AD-SFRC-1 (with average steel
fiber dosage 0.9 %) is 11.2 % higher than that of FA-SFRC-2 (with
average steel fiber dosage 1.4 %), which indicates that the specimen
with lower dosage of adaptively distributed steel fibers has better per­
formance than that with higher dosage of aligned or random steel fibers.
Therefore, the adaptively distributed steel fiber significantly improves
the ability of reinforcement on the beam specimens.
4.6. Failure process of specimens with different fibers distribution
Fig. 12 shows the crack morphology of each specimen when the
average volume fraction of steel fibers is 0.9 %. Cracks first appeared at
the top of the middle support section for all types of specimens. Subse­
quently, cracks appeared at the bottom of the two midspan sections at
different times, and gradually propagate upward and reached the top of
the midspan until the specimen was destroyed. It can be seen from the
figures that the crack morphology of AD-SFRC specimen is almost the
same as that of other series of specimens. However, in the process of
fracture, the development of cracking of AD-SFRC specimens is rela­
tively slow, while those of specimens with random and aligned fibers
distribution develop rapidly. Meanwhile, with the propagation of
Table 3
The cracking load, ultimate load, flexural toughness and residual strength of
specimens.
Specimen Cracking Ultimate Flexural Residual
type load(kN) load(kN) toughness(J) strength(MPa)

4.5. Effect of steel fiber distribution on residual strength AD-SFRC-1 40.5 52.1 100.4 14.9
AD-SFRC-2 56.3 61.1 116.2 15.9
FA-SFRC-1 35.1 45.3 85.1 12.6
According to ASTM C1609, the residual strength f150 can be calcu­ FA-SFRC-2 41.4 53.6 98.8 13.4
lated as Eq. (1) [24]. ASFRC-1 28.3 35.6 67.4 9.9

P150 l ASFRC-2 34.3 46.7 82.5 11.5

f150 = (1)
bd2 SFRC-1 25.8 25.8 39.7 5.1
SFRC-2 30.9 30.9 49.7 6.7
where f 150 is residual strength at deflection of l/150 (MPa), and P150 is Reference 19.6 19.6 1.4 0
residual load at deflection of l/150 (kN), b is sample width (m), l is the

Vf Vf
Fig. 11. The residual strength of the specimen.

7
X. Wang et al.
Fig. 12. Morphology of cracking of continuous beam specimen.
cracking, it seems that AD-SFRC specimens have much intensive sounds
of fiber pulling out compared with other specimens. This indicates that
in the specimens with adaptively distributed steel fibers, there are more
fibers bridging the fracture section and limiting the development of
cracks, and hence more effectively improving the load capacity and
ductility of the specimen.
From Fig. 12 it should be noted that there is only one main crack in
the cross-section corresponding to the maximum bending moment was
observed in the tests of all specimen series. The possible reason is that
because a concentrated load was applied to the beam at midspan, which
caused the maximum moment at the sections of middle span and central
support and thus led to the main cracks at the sections. If four-point
bending load was applied multi-cracking possibly occurred.
5. Conclusions
The AD-SFRC 2-span continuous beam with adaptively distributed
steel fiber was designed and prepared. The mechanical properties of the
AD-SFRC 2-span continuous beam are experimentally compared with
that of specimens with random and aligned steel fibers. According to the
present work, following conclusions can be drawn.
(1) According to the shape, size and load condition of the specimen,
the magnitude and direction of the principal tensile stress in the
specimen are determined by finite element analysis. By
dispersing the steel fibers having the same direction as principal
tensile stress, and adjusting the volume fraction of steel fibers
proportional to the principal tensile stress, the optimal distribu­
tion of steel fibers is obtained.
(2) The results of inspection on the orientation and local dosage of
steel fibers on the cross section indicated that the distribution of
steel fiber in the AD-SFRC specimens are consistent with the
optimization. So, the approach of preparing AD-SFRC specimen
by applying magnetic field and casting section by section and
layer by layer is effective and successful.
(3) When the average volume fraction of steel fibers is 0.9 %,
compared with FA-SFRC-1, ASFRC-1, and SFRC-1 specimens, the
ultimate load of AD-SFRC-1 specimens is increased by 15.0 %,
46.3 %, and 101.9 %, respectively. When the average volume
fraction of steel fibers is 1.4 %, compared with FA-SFRC-2,
ASFRC-2, and SFRC-2 specimens, the ultimate load of AD-SFRC-
2 specimens is increased by 14.0 %, 30.8 %, and 97.7 %,
respectively. Therefore, the reinforcement efficiency of steel fi­
bers has been significantly improved by the approach of adaptive
distribution of steel fibers.
8
Construction and Building Materials 348 (2022) 128684
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Xiaowei Wang: Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Data
curation, Writing – review & editing. Hangming Xu: Formal analysis,
Software, Investigation, Writing – original draft. Ru Mu: Conceptuali­
zation, Formal analysis, Validation, Investigation, Writing – review &
editing. Longbang Qing: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing –
review & editing. Zhaoyu Zhan: Investigation, Formal analysis. Guorui
Cao: Software, Investigation. Shihua Wei: Writing – review & editing.
Chuang Du: Investigation.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Data availability
Data will be made available on request.
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation
of China (Grant No. 52078180, 52178199 and 51878239), and the
Henan Key Laboratory of Special Protective Materials (Grant No.
SZKFJJ202005).
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