• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2017

A coupled experimental-numerical study on shear fracture in concrete specimens with different geometries is carried out. The crack initiation, propagation and final breakage of concrete specimens are experimentally studied under compression loading. The load-strain and the strength of the specimens are experimentally measured, indicating decreasing effects of the shear behavior on the failure load of the specimen. The effects of specimen geometries on the shear fracturing path in the concrete specimens are also investigate. Numerical models using an indirect boundary element method are made to evaluate the crack propagation paths of concrete specimens. These numerical results are compared with the performed experiments and are validated experimentally.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.511-519
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• 2017

The reliability of reinforced concrete structures is frequently compromised by the deterioration caused by reinforcement corrosion. Evaluating the effect caused by reinforcement corrosion on structural behaviour of corrosion damaged concrete structures is essential for effective and reliable infrastructure management. In lifecycle management of corrosion affected reinforced concrete structures, it is difficult to correctly assess the lifecycle performance due to the uncertainties associated with structural resistance deterioration. This paper presents a stochastic deterioration modelling approach to evaluate the performance deterioration of corroded concrete structures during their service life. The flexural strength deterioration is analytically predicted on the basis of bond strength evolution caused by reinforcement corrosion, which is examined by the experimental and field data available. An assessment criterion is defined to evaluate the flexural strength deterioration for the time-dependent reliability analysis. The results from the worked examples show that the proposed approach is capable of evaluating the structural reliability of corrosion damaged concrete structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2018

Topology optimization of steel and concrete composite based on truss-like material model is studied in this paper. First, the initial design domain is filled with concrete, and the steel is distributed in it. The problem of topology optimization is to minimize the volume of steel material and solved by full stress method. Then the optimized steel and concrete composite truss-like continuum is obtained. Finally, the distribution of steel material is determined based on the optimized truss-like continuum. Several numerical results indicate the numerical instability and rough boundary are settled. And more details of manufacture and construction can be presented based on the truss-like material model. Hence, the truss-like material model of steel and concrete is efficient to establish the distribution of steel material in concrete.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.479-489
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• 2020

Studies have proved that the mechanical properties of concrete, suddenly is dropped off with employing waste materials as replacements. The effectiveness of fibre addition on the structural stability of concrete has been indicated in recent investigations. There are different waste aggregates and fibres as plastic, rubber tire, coconut, and other natural wastes, which have been evaluated throughout the last decades. The fibres incorporation has a substantial effect on the properties of concrete mix subjected to different loading scenarios. This paper has reviewed different types of wastes and the effect of typical fibres including Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET), rubber tire, and waste glass. Furthermore, waste plastic and waste rubber has been especially studied in this review. Although concretes containing PET fibre revealed a reduction in compressive strength at low fibre fractions, using PET is resulted to micro-cracking decrement and increasing flexibility and flexural strength. Finally, according to the reviews, the conventional waste fibres are well-suited to mitigated time-induced damages of concrete and waste fibres and aggregates could be a reliable replacement for concrete.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.151-168
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• 2004

A two-dimensional nonlinear finite element model is developed to simulate time-dependent cracking of reinforced concrete members under service loads. To predict localized cracking, the crack band model is employed to model individual crack opening. In conjunction with the crack band model, a bond-interface element is used to model the slip between concrete and reinforcing steel permitting large slip displacements between the concrete element nodes and the steel truss element nodes at crack openings. The time-dependent effects of concrete creep and shrinkage are incorporated into the smeared crack model as inelastic pre-strains in an iterative solution procedure. Two test examples are shown to verify the finite element model with good agreement between the model and the observed test results.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.183-198
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• 2015

Chloride ingress implies a complex interaction between physical and chemical process, in which heat, moisture and chloride ions transport through concrete cover. Meanwhile, reinforced concrete structure itself undergoes evolution due to variation in temperature, relative humidity and creep effects, which can potentially change the deformation and trigger some micro-cracks in concrete. In addition, all of these process show time-dependent performance with complex interaction between structures and environments. In the present work, a time-dependent behavior of chloride transport in reinforced concrete beam subjected to flexural load is proposed based on the well-known section fiber model. The strain state varies because of stress redistribution caused by the interaction between environment and structure, mainly dominated by thermal stresses and shrinkage stress and creep. Finally, in order to clear the influence of strain state on the chloride diffusivity, experiment test were carried out and a power function used to describe this influence is proposed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.321-330
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• 2011

Long-term properties of concrete affect structures in many respects, not excepting dynamic behaviors. This paper investigates the influence of concrete creep on the dynamic behaviors of concrete filled steel tube (CFT) arch bridges, by means of combining the analytical method for the creep of axially compressed CFT members, which is based on Model B3 for concrete creep, with the finite element model of CFT arch bridges. By this approach, the changes of the stress and strain of each element in the bridge with time can be obtained and then transformed into damping and stiffness matrices in the dynamic equation involved in the finite element model at different times. A numerical example of a long-span half-through CFT arch bridge shows that creep influences the natural vibration characteristics and seismic responses of the bridge considerably, especially in the early age. In addition, parameter analysis demonstrates that concrete composition, compressive strength and steel ratio have an obvious effect on the seismic response of the CFT arch bridge.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.623-636
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• 2012

The aim of the current work is to describe the flexural behaviour of simply supported concrete beams with tension reinforcement spliced at mid-span. The parameters included in the study were the type of the concrete, the splice length and the configuration of the hooked splice. Fifteen beams were cast using an ordinary concrete mix and two fiber reinforced concrete mixes incorporating steel and polypropylene fibers. Each concrete mix was used to cast five beams with continuous, spliced and hooked spliced tension steel bars. A test beam was reinforced on the tension side with two 12 mm bars and the splice length was 20 and 40 times the bar diameter. The hooked bars were spliced along 20 times the bar diameter and provided with 45-degree and 90-degree hooks. The test results in terms of cracking and ultimate loads, cracking patterns, ductility, and failure modes are reported. The results demonstrated the consequences due to short splices and the improvement in the structural behaviour due to the use of hooks and the confinement provided by the steel and polypropylene fibers.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.3 no.2_3
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• pp.177-195
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• 2006

Slipforming is a construction method in which the forms move continuously during the placement of concrete. This paper presents the development of a computer aided program designated as "CADSLIPFORM" for slipforming operations. The program incorporates maturity methods for the prediction of initial setting times of slipform concrete layers using laboratory data (time-temperature histories and setting times of concrete mixtures at different temperatures) and generates slipform mock-up times. The performance of CADSLIPFORM is validated by comparing simulated mock-up times with those estimated in the field through conventional hard front by rod (R) method. Moreover, the program versatility is demonstrated by illustrating mock-up simulations for different cases with variable slipform parameters such as: number and thickness of concrete layers, concrete temperature (simulating variable setting times) and slipform speed. The program also incorporates the choice of Freiesleben Hansen & Pederson (FHP) and Carino & Tank (CT) maturity functions. CADSLIPFORM can assist user to develop reliable schedule of slipforming operation suitable for a specific project by optimizing various slipform parameters.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.3 no.2_3
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• pp.145-161
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• 2006

This article involves architecting prototype-fuzzy expert system for designing the nominal cover thickness by means of fuzzy inference for quantitatively representing the environment affecting factor to reinforced concrete in chloride-induced corrosion environment. In this work, nominal cover thickness to reinforcement in concrete was determined by the sum of minimum cover thickness and tolerance to that defined from skill level, constructability and the significance of member. Several variables defining the quality of concrete and environment affecting factor (EAF) including relative humidity, temperature, cyclic wet and dry, and the distance from coast were treated as fuzzy variables. To qualify EAF the environment conditions of cycle degree of wet-dry, relative humidity, distance from coast and temperature were used as input variables. To determine the nominal cover thickness a qualified EAF, concrete grade, and watercement ratio were used. The membership functions of each fuzzy variable were generated from the engineering knowledge and intuition based on some references as well as some international codes of practice.