Flexural performance of glazed hollow bead reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

Flexural static tests are conducted on glazed hollow bead reinforced concrete beams (referred to as GBLs) with a range of properties. The test variables included concrete material type and cross section depth as well as longitudinal reinforcement ratio of the flexural beams. The test results were analyzed in terms of damage mechanism, ductility, stiffness, and energy dissipation in the flexural beam. The addition of the glazed hollow bead as the lightweight aggregate was to obtain higher ductility and slower degradation of strength and stiffness. It was shown in the tests that the mechanical properties of the GBLs were better than that of normal concrete beams. A finite element model was developed for the beams and the lateral force–displacement curves obtained from analyses were compared with the experimental data. The results of this study are useful in the design and application of glazed hollow bead insulation concrete bending members.