• Computers and Concrete
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.175-183
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• 2022

To study the working mechanism and size effect of an innovative dovetail UHPC joint originated from the 5th Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, a large-scale testing subject to negative bending moment was conducted and compared with the previous scaled specimens. The static responses, i.e., the crack pattern, failure mode, ductility and stiffness degradation were analyzed. It was found that the scaled specimens presented similar working stages and working mechanism with the large-scale ones. However, the post-cracking ductility and relative stiffness degradation all decrease with the enlarged length/scale, apart from the relative stiffness after flexural cracking. The slab stiffness at the flexural cracking stage is 90% of the initial stiffness while only 24% of the initial stiffness reserved in the ultimate stage. Finite element model (FEM) was established and compared with the experiments to verify its effectiveness in exploring the working mechanism of the innovative joint. Based on this effective method, a series of FEMs were established to further study the influence of material strength, pre-stressing level and ratio of reinforcement on its deflection-load relationship. It is found that the ratio of reinforcement can significantly improve its load-carrying capacity among the three major-influenced factors.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.277-287
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• 2022

Due to the scarcity of extortionate experimental data, fatigue failure of the reinforced concrete (RC) element might be achieved economically adopting nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis as an alternative approach. However, conventional implicit dynamic analysis is expensive, quasi-static method overlooks interaction effects and inertia, direct cyclic analysis computes stabilized responses. Apart from this, explicit dynamic analysis may provide a numerical operating system for factual long-term responses. The study explores the fatigue behavior based on a simplified explicit dynamic solution employing nonlinear time domain analysis. Among fourteen RC beams, one beam is selected to validate under static loading, one under fatigue with the experimental study and other twelve to check the detail fatigue behavior. The SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) analysis has been carried out to pinpoint the detail scenario in the adoption of numerical approach as an alternative to the experimental study. Excellent agreement of FE and experimental results is seen. The 3D nonlinear RC beam model at service fatigue limits is truthful to be used as an expedient contrivance to envisage the precise fatigue behavior. The simplified analysis approach for RC beam under fatigue offers savings in computation to predict responses providing acceptable accuracy rather than the complicated laboratory investigation. At higher frequency, the flexural failure occurs a bit earlier gradually compared to the repeated loading case of lower frequency. The deflection increases by 6%-10% at the end of first cycle for beams with increasing frequency of cyclic loading. However, at the end of fatigue loading, greater deflection occur earlier for higher load range because of more rapid stiffness degradation. For higher frequency, a slight boost in concrete compressive strains at an initial stage of loading has been seen indicating somewhat stepper increment. Stiffness degradation in larger loading cycle at same duration escalates the upsurge of the rate of strain in case of higher frequency.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.113-130
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• 2023

Hybrid simulation (HS) has attracted community attention in recent years as an efficient and effective experimental technique for structural performance evaluation in size-limited laboratories. Traditional hybrid simulations usually take deterministic properties for their numerical substructures therefore could not account for inherent uncertainties within the engineering structures to provide probabilistic performance assessment. Reliable structural performance evaluation, therefore, calls for stochastic hybrid simulation (SHS) to explicitly account for substructure uncertainties. The experimental design of SHS is explored in this study to account for uncertainties within analytical substructures. Both computational simulation and laboratory experiments are conducted to evaluate the pseudo-random Sobol sequence for the experimental design of SHS. Meta-modeling through polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) is established from a computational simulation of a nonlinear single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) structure to evaluate the influence of nonlinear behavior and ground motions uncertainties. A series of hybrid simulations are further conducted in the laboratory to validate the findings from computational analysis. It is shown that the Sobol sequence provides a good starting point for the experimental design of stochastic hybrid simulation. However, nonlinear structural behavior involving stiffness and strength degradation could significantly increase the number of hybrid simulations to acquire accurate statistical estimation for the structural response of interests. Compared with the statistical moments calculated directly from hybrid simulations in the laboratory, the meta-model through PCE gives more accurate estimation, therefore, providing a more effective way for uncertainty quantification.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.275-288
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• 2023

Based on the crucial role of high-speed railway bridges (HSRBs) in the safety of high-speed railway operations, it is an important approach to mitigate earthquake hazards by proceeding with seismic risk assessments in their whole life. Bridge seismic risk assessment, which usually evaluates the seismic performance of bridges from a probabilistic perspective, provides technical support for bridge risk management. The seismic performance of bridges is greatly affected by the degradation of material properties, therefore, material damage plays a nonnegligible role in the seismic risk assessment of the bridge. The effect of material damage is not considered in most current studies on seismic risk analysis of bridges, nevertheless. To fill the gap in this area, in this paper, a nonlinear dynamic time-history analysis has been carried out by establishing OpenSees finite element model, and a seismic vulnerability analysis is carried out based on the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) method. On this basis, combined with the site risk analysis, the time-dependent seismic risk analysis of an offshore three-span HSRB in the whole life cycle has been conducted. The results showed that the seismic risk probabilities of both components and system of the bridge increase with the service time, and their seismic risk probabilities increase significantly in the last service period due to the degradation of the material strength, which demonstrates that the impact of durability damage should be considered when evaluating the seismic performance of bridges in the design and service period.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.3
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• pp.385-397
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• 2023

This study presents an experiment and analysis to compare the seismic behavior of full-scale reinforced concrete beam-column joint strengthened by prestressed steel strips, externally bonded steel plate, and CFRP sheets. For experimental investigation, five specimens, including one joint without any retrofitting, one joint retrofitted by externally bonded steel plate, one joint retrofitted by CFRP sheets, and two joints retrofitted by prestressed steel strips, were tested under cyclic-reserve loading. The failure mode, strain response, shear deformation, hysteresis behavior, energy dissipation capacity, stiffness degradation and damage indexes of all specimens were analyzed according to experimental study. It was found that prestressed steel strips, steel plate and CFRP sheets improved shear resistance, energy dissipation capacity, stiffness degradation behavior and reduced the shear deformation of the joint core area, as well as changed the failure pattern of the specimen, which led to the failure mode changed from the combination of flexural failure of beams and shear failure of joints core to the flexural failure of beams. In addition, the beam-column joint retrofitted by steel plate exhibited a high bearing capacity, energy consumption capacity and low damage index compared with the joint strengthened by prestressed steel strip, and the prestressed steel strips reinforced joint showed a high strength, energy dissipation capacity and low shear deformation, stirrups strains and damage index compared to the CFRP reinforced joint, which indicated that the frame joints strengthened with steel plate exhibited the most excellent seismic behavior, followed by the prestressed steel strips.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.311-320
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• 2014

High strength concrete is not only vulnerable to the occurrence of spalling which generates the loss of cross-section in concrete structures but produces faster degradation in its mechanical properties than normal strength concrete in the event of fire. This study aims to evaluate fire resistance of high strength segment concrete with PET fibers mixed to prevent spalling under ISO834 (2hr) and RABT fire curve. As results, the samples without PET fibers show the concrete loss up to the depth of about 8 cm and 9.5 cm from the surface exposed to fire under ISO834 and RABT fire curve respectively. The samples mixed with PET fiber of 0.1% show no spalling under ISO834 fire curve and the spalled thickness of 6.5 cm under RABT fire curve after the fire tests. Finally, the sample mixed with PET fiber of 0.2% shows no spalling under RABT fire curve. The results indicate that the suitable amounts of PET fiber for securing fire resistance performance of this high strength segment concrete are 0.1% under ISO834 fire curve and 0.2% under RABT fire curve. However, even though spalling does not occur, it is necessary to repair the deterioration of concrete up to 4 cm from the surface exposed to fire after fire.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.734-741
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• 2002

An experimental study was carried out for beam-column joints composed of RC column and RS beams. The purpose of this study is to examine the inelastic seismic behavior for the RC-RS connection. Two interior and one exterior beam-column assemblies with variable moment ratios were tested. Experimental results showed that strength and deformability except stiffness were satisfactory. It is considered that the lack of stiffness was due to the slipping of steel beam from RS beam. The behavioral characteristics of the RC-RS connection were evaluated according to the quideline suggested by Hawkins et al. Nominal strength at 5 ％ joint distortion was not satisfactory, but all the other requirements, such as strength preserving capability, energy dissipation, and initial stiffness and strength ratios after peak load were satisfactory compared with the guideline. Thus it was concluded that the RC-RS connections can maintain ductility with excellent energy-dissipating capacity if being provided with appropriate reinforced structural system such as RC core wall for the initial lateral stiffness.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.401-409
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• 2007

The objective of this research is to provide better knowledge on the behavior of strong axis SRC column-RC beam joint, supported by experimental results, that can be broadly applicable to many structures. For this purpose, firstly literature reviews and field survey were made to classify the most commonly used for these types of joints. Then, experimental program was designed and performed including 6 SRC column-RC beam joint specimens designed with various joint details. Using the experimental results obtained from the quasi-static cyclic tests, structural performances of the joints such as hysteretic curves, maximum strength capacities, strength degradation beyond the maximum strength, ductilities, and energy dissipation capacities were investigated. Test results showed that specimens with wide beam shape (RCW-P, RCW-W, RCW-F) and T beam shape (RCT-W) showed better structural performances than the bracket type specimens (HBR-L, HBR-S). These specimens also revealed to have higher strength capacities than the nominal design strength. However, H beam bracket type specimens (HBR-L, HBR-S) need further study both analytically and experimentally to verify the reason for unexpected structural performances.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.136-143
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• 2021

Polyurea has been investigated as a polymer matrix for composite materials because of its high mechanical strength. Although polyurea has a similar chemical structure to polyurethane, it has much higher strength and durability. In this study, the fabrication of polyurea composites reinforced with carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene oxide (GO) is demonstrated to enhance the tensile strength of the glass fibers composite. Using FTIR and Raman spectroscopies, the chemical structures of polyurea, CNT, and GO are investigated. As a result, spectroscopy analysis reveals that the chemical structure of CNT, GO, and polyurea is maintained during the fabrication of the composite structure. Scanning electron microscopy reveals the uniform distribution of CNT and GO across the polyurea matrix. The reinforcement of 1 wt% CNT in polyurea enhances the tensile strength of CNT/polyurea composites. In contrast, the reinforcement of GO in polyurea induces the degradation of the tensile strength of GO/polyurea composites.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.431-439
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• 2022

In this study, Neutralized red mud(LRM+S) at a pH of 6-8 was prepared by adding sulfuric acid to liquefied red mud(LRM) at a pH of 10~12. After adding LRM and LRM+S to the cement paste, the hydration heat, compressive strength, and hydration products were examined. The observed accumulated hydration heat revealed that the calorific value of the cement paste with LRM was low and its and peak was delayed when compared with that of plain cement paste(referred to as Plain), whereas the calorific value of the cement paste with LRM+S was similar to that of Plain. At the age of 28 days, the compressive strength of the cement paste with 20% LRM was 55% of the strength of Plain. Using X-ray diffraction, it was determined that the cement paste with 20% LRM exhibited a Ca(OH)₂ peak after 3 days, whereas the cement paste with 20% LRM+S and Plain exhibited a Ca(OH)₂ peak after an hour. Thus, the strength degradation of cementitious materials was improved by adding neutralized red mud prepared by adjusting the pH of highly alkaline LRM with sulfuric acid.