Strength of two-way ferrocement slabs containing patch reinforcement

Abstract

An experimental investigation into the collapse load behavior of simply supported ferrocement slabs containing a nonuniform distribution of reinforcement is reported. All slabs had identical dimensions and consisted of three reinforcing zones. The distribution of reinforcement in each zone was kept uniform, but the amount was systematically varied by using fine wire mesh in patches. Results of eight square slabs tested under uniform loading simulated by 16 point loads indicate that the collapse load depends not only on the amount of reinforcement, but also on its arrangement. Yield line analysis using finite elements and linear programming has been found to give good predictions of the collapse load and the mode of failure.