Abstract
In the present paper, experimental investigations were used to study the effect of the addition conductive screws on the behavior of reinforced concrete columns and beams. Screws with 25.4mm (1 inch) length were used. These screws were made of iron coated with Zinc-Aluminium alloy (called Al-Clad), which is resistant to corrosion and rust. The volume fractions of the conductive screws were 0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% by volume of concrete mix with water/cement ratio equal to 0.55. The results show that the use of the conductive screws enhanced the strength. The strength in tested beams was increased by 15.78%, 44.73%, and 76.31% for 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% screws content respectively compared to the reference beam with no screws. The same trend was observed with the columns results, where the strength was increased by 12.44%, 26.79%, and 50.71% for 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% screws content respectively compared to the reference column with no screws.
