• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제82권2호
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• pp.163-172
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• 2022

Zinc-rich epoxy (ZRE) is used to overcome corrosion problems in reinforced concrete (RC) beams and coat steel rebars to protect them from humidity and chlorides. An extra coating layer of Sikadur-31 epoxy (SDE) is utilised to increase bond strength because the use of ZRE reduces the bond strength between concrete and steel rebars. However, the low melting point of SDE indicates that concrete specimens are vulnerable to fire. An experimental investigation on flexural performance of RC beams incorporating ZRE-SDE coating of steel rebars that were destroyed by fire is performed in this study. Twenty beams of five concrete mixes with different cementitious contents were tested to compare fire exposure for coated and uncoated rebars of the same beams at room temperature and determine the optimal cementitious content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also applied to investigate characteristics of fired mixture samples. Results showed that the use of SDE-ZRE at room temperature improves flexural strengths of the five mixes compared with uncoated rebars with percentages ranging from 8.5% to 12.3%. All beams with SDE-ZRE lost approximately 50% of their flexural strength due to firing. Moreover, the mix incorporating SF (silica fume) of 15% and cement content of 400 kg/m³ introduces optimum behaviour compared with other mixes. All results were supported and verified by the SEM analysis and compressive strength of cubic specimens of the same mixes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제43권5호
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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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• 제15권3호
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• pp.373-389
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• 2015

The development of a finite element model for the geometric and material nonlinear analysis of bonded prestressed concrete continuous beams is presented. The nonlinear geometric effect is introduced by the coupling of axial and flexural fields. A layered approach is applied so as to consider different material properties across the depth of a cross section. The proposed method of analysis is formulated based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. According to the total Lagrangian description, the constructed stiffness matrix consists of three components, namely, the material stiffness matrix reflecting the nonlinear material effect, the geometric stiffness matrix reflecting the nonlinear geometric effect and the large displacement stiffness matrix reflecting the large displacement effect. The analysis is capable of predicting the nonlinear behaviour of bonded prestressed concrete continuous beams over the entire loading stage up to failure. Some numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the proposed model.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.295-304
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• 2016

An experimental investigation on the behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with various reinforcement, including ordinary steel bars, CFRP bars and CFRP prestressed concrete prisms(PCP). The main variable in the test program was the level of prestress and the cross section of PCP.The modes of failure and the crack width were observed. The results of load-deflection and load-crack width characteristics were discussed. The results showed that the CFRP prestressed concrete prisms as flexural reinforcement of concrete beams could limit deflection and crack width under service load and PCP can overcome the serviceability problems associated with the low elastic modulus/strength ratio of CFRP.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.11-25
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• 2018

A numerical approach for the evaluation of the flexural response of Steel Fibrous Concrete (SFC) cross-sections with arbitrary geometry, with or without conventional steel longitudinal reinforcing bars is proposed. Resisting bending moment versus curvature curves are calculated using verified non-linear constitutive stress-strain relationships for the SFC under compression and tension which include post-peak and post-cracking softening parts. A new compressive stress-strain model for SFC is employed that has been derived from test data of 125 stress-strain curves and 257 strength values providing the overall compressive behaviour of various SFC mixtures. The proposed sectional analysis is verified using existing experimental data of 42 SFC beams, and it predicts the flexural capacity and the curvature ductility of SFC members reasonably well. The developed approach also provides rational and more accurate compressive and tensile stress-strain curves along with bending moment versus curvature curves with regards to the predictions of relevant existing models.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제66권5호
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• pp.631-636
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• 2018

This study aims to investigate the flexural behaviour of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminated hybrid fibre reinforced concrete (HFRC) beams. The flexural and ductility performance of GFRP laminated HFRC beams having different proportions of polyolefin and steel fibres with 1.0% of total volume fraction were investigated. The parameters of this investigation included: load and deflection at first crack, yield, and ultimate stages, ductility and crack width. A total of seven beams of $150{\times}250mm$ in cross-section were tested in the laboratory over an effective span of 2800 mm. One reinforced concrete (RC) beam without any internal or external GFRP was taken as the reference beam. Of the remaining six beams, one beam was strengthened with GFRP, one beam with 100% steel fibres was strengthened with GFRP and four beams, each with different volume proportions of polyolefin and steel fibres (20:80, 30:70, 40:60, 50:50) were strengthened with GFRP. All the above beams were tested until failure. The experimental results show that a fibre volume proportion of 40:60 (polyolefin-steel) has significantly improved the overall performance of the tested beams.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제9권5호
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• pp.397-418
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• 2009

Eight panel specimens were tested in one-way bending to study the behaviour and capacity of composite slab joists consisting of cold-formed steel C-sections and concrete. Various shear transfer mechanisms were implemented on the C-section flange embedded in the concrete to provide the longitudinal shear resistance. Results showed that all specimens reached serviceability limit state while in elastic range and failure was ductile. Shear transfer achieved for all specimens ranged from 42 to 99% of a full transfer while specimens employed with shear transfer enhancements showed a greater percentage and therefore a higher strength compared with those relying only on surface bond to resist shear. The implementation of pre-drilled holes on the embedded flange of the steel C-section was shown to be most effective. The correlation study between the push-out and panel specimens indicated that the calculated moment capacity based on shear transfer resistance obtained from push-out tests was, on average, 10% lower than the experimental ultimate capacity of the panel specimen.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제5권6호
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• pp.573-597
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• 2008

Among artificial intelligence-based computational techniques, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) are particularly suitable for modelling complex systems with known input-output data sets. Such systems can be efficient in modelling non-linear, complex and ambiguous behaviour of cement-based materials undergoing single, dual or multiple damage factors of different forms (chemical, physical and structural). Due to the well-known complexity of sulfate attack on cement-based materials, the current work investigates the use of ANFIS to model the behaviour of a wide range of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) mixture designs under various high-concentration sodium sulfate exposure regimes including full immersion, wetting-drying, partial immersion, freezing-thawing, and cyclic cold-hot conditions with or without sustained flexural loading. Three ANFIS models have been developed to predict the expansion, reduction in elastic dynamic modulus, and starting time of failure of the tested SCC specimens under the various high-concentration sodium sulfate exposure regimes. A fuzzy inference system was also developed to predict the level of aggression of environmental conditions associated with very severe sodium sulfate attack based on temperature, relative humidity and degree of wetting-drying. The results show that predictions of the ANFIS and fuzzy inference systems were rational and accurate, with errors not exceeding 5%. Sensitivity analyses showed that the trends of results given by the models had good agreement with actual experimental results and with thermal, mineralogical and micro-analytical studies.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제52권1호
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• pp.35-49
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• 2014

This paper studies the behaviour of deteriorated reinforced concrete (RC) beams attacked by various forms of simulated acid rain. An artificial rainfall simulator was firstly designed and evaluated. Eleven RC beams ($120mm{\times}200mm{\times}1800mm$) were then constructed in the laboratory. Among them, one was acting as a reference beam and the others were subjected to three accelerated corrosion methods, including immersion, wetting-drying, and artificial rainfall methods, to simulate the attack of real acid rain. Acid solutions with pH levels of 1.5 and 2.5 were considered. Next, ultrasonic, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic, and three-point bending tests were performed to investigate the mechanical properties of concrete and flexural behaviour of the RC beams. It can be concluded that the designed artificial simulator can be effectively used to simulate the real acid rainfall. Both the immersion and wetting-drying methods magnify the effects of the real acid rainfall on the RC beams.

• 한국세라믹학회지
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• 제34권7호
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• pp.758-766
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• 1997

Non-brittle fracture behaviour of the two composite structures made of two different brittle materials was investigated using 3-point bending test. First, the layered and fibrous macro-composites were fabricated using the material easily formed, yet showing a brittle fracture behaviour similar to ceramics. The layered and fibrous Al2O3 /Al2O3 composites with weak interface were also fabricated using plate of 2 mm thickness and rod of 3 mm diameter respectively. Comparison of the mechanical properties between these two structures was performed in the lights of flexural strength and work of fracture for the composites consisting of Al2O3 and simulated materials respectively. The strength ratio of layered structure to the monolith of same volume was 0.6 and the ratio of fibrous one was about 0.2 for the composites made of simulated brittle material. The ratio of the work of fracture of the fibrous to the layered was 0.47. For Al2O3/Al2O3 composites, the strength ratio of layered and fibrous structures to the monolith with same volume were about 0.6 and 0.2 respectively. The ratio of work of fracture of the fibrous to the layered was 0.6. These confirmed that the layered structure was superior to the fibrous one in terms of flexural strength and work of fracture.