Experimental study on the flexural tensile properties of aligned steel fiber–reinforced reactive powder concrete members

Abstract To improve the tensile properties of steel fiber–reinforced reactive powder concrete (SFRPC), we prepared aligned steel fiber–reinforced reactive powder concrete (ASFRPC) members by controlling the fiber distribution under a magnetic field. Four‐point bending tests were carried out to examine the flexural tensile properties of the SFRPC and ASFRPC members. In comparison with SFRPC members under the same conditions, we found that the flexural capacity of ASFRPC members increased by 72.4%–149.5%. Moreover, the flexural toughness, residual strength coefficient, and residual load of ASFRPC members were greatly improved. The bearing capacity and toughness of both SFRPC and ASFRPC members were reduced to a certain extent with the increase in the water–binder ratio. The increase in the fiber length and content effectively improved the bending mechanical properties of the SFRPC and ASFRPC members; in particular, the increase in the fiber length significantly improved the deformation capacity of the members.