Shear behavior of reinforced concrete beams incorporating ferrochrome slag aggregate and fly ash

Ferrochrome slag aggregate concrete (FCSAC) incorporated with fly ash offers multiple benefits over FCSAC alone and natural aggregate concrete (NAC) in terms of durability and environmental impacts, without sacrificing essential strength. However, structural behavior of fly ash-based FCSAC is poorly understood due to lack of investigations. This study examined shear performance of 16 full-scale reinforced concrete beams. FCSAC was prepared using 100% FCS coarse aggregate and fly ash as fractional cement replacement (0%, 20% and 30%). To completely comprehend the shear resistance mechanism of FCSAC, eight beams were built without shear reinforcement and eight with it. NAC and FCSAC (without fly ash) were considered as the reference beams. Existing design guidelines and fracture mechanics approaches were verified to predict shear capacity of FCSAC beams. The findings of the study revealed that fly ash incorporated FCSAC beam exhibited fewer cracks and higher shear capacity (about 7%) than NAC beam, but lower strength (about 8%) than FCSAC without fly ash beam. Shear provisions outlined in CSA provisions and fracture model by Gastebled and May could be adopted for FCSAC (with or without fly ash) beams without risk. This research demonstrates that fly ash-based FCSAC can be utilized safely for structural purposes.