Experimental and numerical study on the flexural capacity of fiber mesh fabric-reinforced RC slabs

This study experimentally investigates the effects of embedded carbon and glass fiber mesh fabrics on the flexural performance of one-way reinforced concrete (RC) slabs. Five slab specimens, incorporating different fiber types (carbon and glass) and areal densities (120 g/m2 and 240 g/m2), were subjected to four-point bending tests. The experimental results demonstrate that fiber mesh reinforcement significantly enhances the mechanical behavior of RC slabs, particularly in terms of cracking control and load-bearing capacity. In terms of crack development, fiber mesh fabrics-reinforced slabs exhibited denser and finer crack patterns, with the 240 g/m2 carbon fiber mesh showing the narrowest crack widths and most effective suppression of crack propagation. Compared to the unreinforced control specimen, the cracking load of fiber mesh fabrics-reinforced slabs increased by 14.2% to 114.2%, yield load by 21.3% to 48.7%, and ultimate load by 1.4% to 21.4%. Among them, the specimen reinforced with 240 g/m2 carbon fiber mesh exhibited the most substantial improvement, achieving 114.2% higher cracking load, 48.7% higher yield load, and 21.4% higher ultimate load. At the same areal density, carbon fiber mesh outperformed glass fiber mesh, providing up to 25% improvement in cracking load, 18.8% in yield load, and 16.6% in ultimate load. Increasing the areal density from 120 g/m2 to 240 g/m2 also enhanced flexural performance, with cracking load improvements of 50% observed for both glass and carbon fiber mesh fabrics-reinforced slabs. Finally, the finite element (FE) models of the slabs were developed using the ABAQUS software. The FE simulations accurately replicated the crack development, deflection behavior, and load-transfer mechanisms observed in the experiments, validating the model’s reliability. These results provide critical insights for optimizing the design of fiber-reinforced concrete slabs.