Concrete welding using steel fibers

This experimental study investigates the viability of extending beam’s length using steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) as welding material. Results obtained from testing sixteen large scale welded beams and four control beams under third-point loading in a simply supported configuration are presented. Thirty-six (200 mm width × 220 mm depth × 1000 mm length) prismatic concrete elements were designed, fabricated and used to produce the 16 welded beams. The main testing parameters were the joint type, length and number within the beam in addition to the volume fraction of the steel fibers. Three different joint lengths (100, 200 and 300 mm) and two steel fiber volume fractions (2% and 3%) were examined. Load–deflection, failure and cracking behavior and the ultimate flexural capacity of the beams were monitored. The test results indicated that the welded beams with joint length of 300 mm using steel fibers at 2% provided comparable flexural behavior as the control beams. This demonstrates the viability of the proposed welding technique to extend the beam’s length while maintaining the required flexural behavior.