Experimental Study on the Flexural Behavior of Stone Slabs with Near Surface Mounted Steel Bar

Six stone slabs with near surface mounted steel bar were tested to study the flexural behavior of stone slab. The test parameters included the slotting dimension and steel reinforcement ratio. The test results show that the measure of near surface mounted steel bar can significantly increase the flexural capacity and ultimate deflection. The flexural behavior of stone slabs with near surface mounted steel bar is less affected by the slotting dimension; steel reinforcement ratio is the important factor influencing flexural behavior. With higher steel reinforcement ratio, the failure mode has transformed from brittle fracture into ductile failure; cracking load, ultimate load and displacement are largely increased by 10.2%, 131.9%, 617%. The mid-span section strain distribution complies with the plane-section assumption. Stone slabs with near surface mounted steel bar can fully exert the strength of stone and steel bar.