Lateral load response of high performance fiber reinforced concrete beam-column joints

Six beam-column (B-C) joints were constructed according to the existing practice in Jordan and tested under cyclic lateral loading to determine the effect of using high performance steel fiber reinforced concrete (HPFRC) in place of conventional concrete in the joint region. The properties of ultimate strength, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and joint stiffness of the reference concrete specimens were compared with those containing different amounts of brass-coated (BCSF) or hooked steel fibers (HSF). It was determined that the steel fiber concrete specimens exhibited three times higher load levels, 20 times larger energy dissipation, and two times slower stiffness degradation compared to the reference concrete specimens. Using hooked steel fibers showed a significant increase (three times) in the maximum load carrying capacity and in the initial secant stiffness compared to reference specimens.