The cracking control of plain concrete slabs on soil foundation requires the execution of joints with mechanisms of load transfer between adjacent panels. These joints increase the construction costs and, often, are the source of local damage and loss of service performance. Slabs reinforced with steel wire mesh have been used in order to increase the load-carrying capacity and to enhance the cracking control. However, the use of this conventional reinforcement increases the costs, mainly due to labour time spent on the arrangement and positioning of the reinforcement.
Fibre-reinforced concrete is a recent material well fitted for applications in industrial floors on soil foundation. The cost of fibres is compensated by a faster construction process and a reduction in the number of expansion joints. The fatigue, impact and flexural strength are significantly improved when steel fibres are added to the concrete mix.
The work developed aims to contribute to the on going research effort to clarify the behaviour of fibre-reinforced concrete slabs on soil foundation. For this purpose, an experimental and numerical investigation were carried out. The present article deals basically with the experimental work developed, describing the tests performed and discussing the main results obtained.