Flexural behaviour of tie-confined self-curing self-compacting concrete

It is known that the deformation capacity is given due importance along with strength in the flexural design of reinforced concrete structures. When a structure is overloaded, adequate deformation capacity available in the structure can ensure safety and is achieved by dissipating excessive energy through plastic hinges. Compaction and curing are most important to achieve requisite strength and durability properties and this is achieved through self-curing self-compacting concretes in the present work. The parameters considered in the study include grade of concrete (Mix A, Mix B), type of curing regime (water curing and self-curing with polyethylene glycol 4000) and type of reinforced section (under-reinforced and over-reinforced beams). Beams of size 1800 mm × 200 mm × 120 mm were cast and tested for flexural strength and the moment–curvature relationships were obtained. It can be inferred from the results that there is a significant difference in the moment–curvature relationships between self-cured and wet-cured specimens. The ultimate moment values of self-cured beams are on a par with water-cured specimens. Optimum dosage of self-curing agents has significantly improved the structural behaviour of self-compacting concrete.