Comparative Study of High-Performance Concrete Beams Reinforced with St 37 Rebar and Damascus Steel Rebar

This study investigated the differences between reinforcement with St 37 steel bars and Damascus steel bars. The studied beams were made of high-performance concrete (HPC) reinforced with St 37 steel re-bars (SSR) of 10, 12 and 14, as well as 150-, 250-and 350-layers of Damascus steel rebars (DSR). The flexural strength tests results showed that HPC beams with 250-layers of DSR (with an average tensile strength of 857.27 MPa) can withstand an average flexural load of 52.19 kN, while HPC beams with SSR of 10 (with an average tensile strength of 485.34 MPa) can withstand an average of 69.52 kN. HPC beams with SSR, due to the ribbed structure of the steel rebars, are capable to withstand high flexural loads, whereas due to the absence of ribs on the surface of the DSR, HPC beams with it are capable to withstand low flexural loads, although the tensile strength of DSR is higher than that of SSR. The ribbed structure of the steel rebars is of fundamental importance for increasing the flexural strength, as it ensures the bond strength between the steel rebar and the concrete.