Using Fibers Instead of Stirrups for Enhancing Torsional Strength in Reactive Powder Concrete Beams
Received: 8 June 2025 | Revised: 1 August 2025 | Accepted: 11 August 2025 | Online: 6 October 2025
Corresponding author: Yasir K. Jameel
Abstract
This study investigates the torsional behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) beams subjected to pure torsion. Six concrete mixtures incorporating different fiber types and dosages were tested, including Basalt Fibers (BF), Steel Fibers (SF), and Glass Fibers (GF), to evaluate their potential as substitutes of traditional transverse reinforcement. The findings show that the fiber type and dosage significantly influence the torsional strength and ductility. Incorporating 1% BF reduced the torsional capacity by 53%, while 1% GF caused a 14% reduction. In contrast, adding 1% SF improved the torsional strength by 106%. The hybrid mixtures further enhanced the performance, with a combination of 0.5% BF and 0.5% GF, increasing the torsional capacity by 29.6% compared to the control beam. Overall, the results indicate that FRC can effectively replace stirrups in torsion-resistant beams, with hybrid fiber systems offering additional structural benefits.
Keywords:
basalt fiber, steel fiber, glass fiber, torsional strength, stirrupsDownloads
References
A. M. F. Jehad and M. H. Al-Sherrawi, "Performance of RC Beams reinforced with Steel Fibers under Pure Torsion," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 16142–16147, Oct. 2024.
H.-J. Chiu, I.-K. Fang, W.-T. Young, and J.-K. Shiau, "Behavior of reinforced concrete beams with minimum torsional reinforcement," Engineering Structures, vol. 29, no. 9, pp. 2193–2205, Sep. 2007.
F. De Larrard and T. Sedran, "Optimization of ultra-high-performance concrete by the use of a packing model," Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 997–1009, 1994.
P. Richard and M. Cheyrezy, "Composition of reactive powder concretes," Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 25, no. 7, pp. 1501–1511, Oct. 1995.
I. H. Yang, C. Joh, and B.-S. Kim, "Structural behavior of ultra high performance concrete beams subjected to bending," Engineering Structures, vol. 32, no. 11, pp. 3478–3487, Nov. 2010.
I.-H. Yang, C. Joh, and B.-S. Kim, "Flexural strength of large-scale ultra high performance concrete prestressed T-beams," Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 38, no. 11, pp. 1185–1195, Nov. 2011.
N. H. Al-Salim, M. H. Jaber, R. F. Hassan, N. S. Mohammed, and H. H. Hussein, "Experimental Investigation of Compound Effect of Flexural and Torsion on Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Beams," Buildings, vol. 13, no. 5, May 2023, Art. no. 1347.
T.-F. Yuan, D.-Y. Yoo, J.-M. Yang, and Y.-S. Yoon, "Shear Capacity Contribution of Steel Fiber Reinforced High-Strength Concrete Compared with and without Stirrup," International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials, vol. 14, no. 1, Apr. 2020, Art. no. 21.
L. N. Hussain, M. J. Hamood, and E. A. Al-Shaarbaf, "Behavior of ultra-high-performance concrete deep beams reinforced by basalt fibers," Open Engineering, vol. 14, no. 1, Jan. 2024.
C. B. Demakos, C. C. Repapis, and D. P. Drivas, "Experimental Investigation of Shear Strength for Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Beams," Open Construction & Building Technology JournalOpen Construction & Building Technology Journal, vol. 15, May 2021.
U. Hasgul, A. Yavas, T. Birol, and K. Turker, "Steel Fiber Use as Shear Reinforcement on I-Shaped UHP-FRC Beams," Applied Sciences, vol. 9, no. 24, Jan. 2019, Art. no. 5526.
E. Fehling and M. Ismail, "Experimental Investigations on UHPC Structural Elements Subject to Pure Torsion.".
X. Cao et al., "Torsional capacity of ultra-high-performance concrete beams using rectangle stirrup," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 69, Jun. 2023, Art. no. 106231.
I.-H. Yang, C. Joh, J. W. Lee, and B.-S. Kim, "Torsional behavior of ultra-high performance concrete squared beams," Engineering Structures, vol. 56, pp. 372–383, Nov. 2013.
P. Saravanakumar, M. Sivakamidevi, K. Meena, and S. P. Yamini, "An experimental study on hybrid fiber reinforced concrete beams subjected to torsion," Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 45, pp. 6818–6821, Jan. 2021.
F. Shi, T. M. Pham, H. Hao, and Y. Hao, "Post-cracking behaviour of basalt and macro polypropylene hybrid fibre reinforced concrete with different compressive strengths," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 262, Nov. 2020, Art. no. 120108.
V. S. Vairagade and K. S. Kene, "Experimental Investigation on Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete," International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 1037–1041, 2012.
M. H. Jaber, B. I. Abd Al-Zahra, A. A. Ibrahim, R. F. Hassan, N. H. Al-Salim, and H. H. Hussein, "Exploring the Effect of Varying Fiber Dosages as Stirrup Substitutes in Torsion-Loaded Concrete Beams," Buildings, vol. 13, no. 7, Jul. 2023, Art. no. 1865.
C. E. Chalioris and C. G. Karayannis, "Effectiveness of the use of steel fibres on the torsional behaviour of flanged concrete beams," Cement and Concrete Composites, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 331–341, May 2009.
C. Zhou, J. Wang, W. Jia, and Z. Fang, "Torsional behavior of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) rectangular beams without steel reinforcement: Experimental investigation and theoretical analysis," Composite Structures, vol. 299, Nov. 2022, Art. no. 116022.
L. Facconi, F. Minelli, P. Ceresa, and G. Plizzari, "Steel fibers for replacing minimum reinforcement in beams under torsion," Materials and Structures, vol. 54, no. 1, Jan. 2021, Art. no. 34.
M. Said, A. Salah, A. Erfan, and A. Esam, "Experimental analysis of torsional behavior of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete beams," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 71, Jul. 2023, Art. no. 106574.
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Yasir K. Jameel, Mohammed J. Hamood, Alyaa H. Mohammed

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.