• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.81-100
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• 2006

To calculate the shear capacity of concrete beams reinforced with fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP), current shear design provisions use slightly modified versions of existing semi-empirical shear design equations that were primarily derived from experimental data generated on concrete beams having steel reinforcement. However, FRP materials have different mechanical properties and mode of failure than steel, and extending existing shear design equations for steel reinforced beams to cover concrete beams reinforced with FRP is questionable. This paper investigates the feasibility of using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to estimate the nominal shear capacity, Vn of concrete beams reinforced with FRP bars. Experimental data on 150 FRP-reinforced beams were retrieved from published literature. The resulting database was used to evaluate the validity of several existing shear design methods for FRP reinforced beams, namely the ACI 440-03, CSA S806-02, JSCE-97, and ISIS Canada-01. The database was also used to develop an ANN model to predict the shear capacity of FRP reinforced concrete beams. Results show that current guidelines are either inadequate or very conservative in estimating the shear strength of FRP reinforced concrete beams. Based on ANN predictions, modified equations are proposed for the shear design of FRP reinforced concrete beams and proved to be more accurate than existing equations.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.461-481
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• 2016

The research described in this paper investigates the seismic behaviour of lightly reinforced concrete (RC) bearing sandwich panels, heavily conditioned by shear deformation. A numerical model has been prepared, within an open source finite element (FE) platform, to simulate the experimental response of this emerging structural system, whose squat-type geometry affects performance and failure mode. Calibration of this equivalent mechanical model, consisting of a group of regularly spaced vertical elements in combination with a layer of nonlinear springs, which represent the cyclic behaviour of concrete and steel, has been conducted by means of a series of pseudo-static cyclic tests performed on single full-scale prototypes with or without openings. Both cantilevered and fixed-end shear walls have been analyzed. After validation, this numerical procedure, including cyclic-related mechanisms, such as buckling and subsequent slippage of reinforcing re-bars, as well as concrete crushing at the base of the wall, has been used to assess the capacity of two- and three-dimensional low- to mid-rise box-type buildings and, hence, to estimate their strength reduction factors, on the basis of conventional pushover analyses.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제12권5호
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• pp.395-412
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• 2012

The present work addresses the rotational capacity of steel-concrete composite beams, which is a key issue for the seismic design of composite frames. Several experimental tests from the literature are summarised, and the effects of various parameters on the available plastic rotation are discussed. Furthermore, a number of remarks are made regarding the need for supplementary experimental results. The authors carried out experimental tests on four composite beams in which the type, width and connection degree of the slab were varied. During the tests, the deflection and strains in the steel profiles and bars were measured and recorded, wherein the observed trends in the measured parameters indicated that the failure mode of the beam was influenced by global and local buckling. A comparison of the experimental results to the theoretical ultimate strengths and moment-curvature relationships confirms that buckling phenomena occurred after section yielding, even if a consistent plastic rotation developed. This rotational capacity is well evaluated by a formulation that is available in the literature.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.247-259
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• 2017

This paper presents a fatigue assessment model that was developed for corroded reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened using prestressed carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. The proposed model considers the fatigue properties of the constituent materials as well as the section equilibrium. The model provides a rational approach that can be used to explicitly assess the failure mode, fatigue life, fatigue strength, stiffness, and post-fatigue ultimate capacity of corroded beams strengthened with prestressed CFRP. A parametric analysis demonstrated that the controlling factor for the fatigue behavior of the beams is the fatigue behavior of the corroded steel bars. Strengthening with one layer of non-prestressed CFRP sheets restored the fatigue behavior of beams with rebar at a low corrosion degree to the level of the uncorroded beams, while strengthening with 20- and 30%-prestressed CFRP sheets restored the fatigue behavior of the beams with medium and high corrosion degrees, respectively, to the values of the uncorroded beams. Under cyclic fatigue loading, the factors for the strengthening design of corroded RC beams fall in the order of stiffness, fatigue life, fatigue strength, and ultimate capacity.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.411-436
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• 2015

In this work, a comprehensive approach to model the structural behaviour of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams subjected to reinforcement corrosion is proposed. The coupled environmental - mechanical damage model developed by some of the authors is enhanced for considering the main effects of corrosion on concrete, on composite interaction between reinforcement bars and concrete and on steel reinforcement. This approach is adopted for reproducing a set of experimental tests on RC beams with different corrosion degrees. After the simulation of the sound beams, the main parameters involved in the relationships characterizing the effects of corrosion are calibrated and tested, referring to one degraded beam. Then, in order to validate the proposed approach and to assess its ability to predict the structural response of deteriorated elements, several corroded beams are analyzed. The numerical results show a good agreement with the experimental ones: in particular, the proposed model properly predicts the structural response in terms of both failure mode and load-deflection curves, with increasing corrosion level.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제45권5호
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• pp.749-766
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• 2022

This paper investigates the seismic performance of exposed RCFST column-base joints, in which the high-strength steel bars (USD 685) are set through the column and reinforced concrete foundation without any base plate and anchor bolts. Three specimens with different axial force ratios (n = 0, 0.25, and 0.5) were tested under cyclic loadings. Finite element analysis (FEA) models were validated in the basic indexes and failure mode. The hysteresis behavior of the exposed RCFST column-base joints was studied by the parametrical analysis including six parameters: width of column (D), width-thickness ratio (D/t), axial force ratio (n), shear-span ratio (L/D), steel tube strength (f_y) and concrete strength (f_c). The bending moment of the exposed RCFST column-base joint increased with D, f_y and f_c. But the D/t and L/D play a little effect on the bending capacity of the new column-base joint. Finally, the calculation formula is proposed to assess the bending moment capacities, and the accuracy and stability of the formula are verified.

• 한국도로학회논문집
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.11-19
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• 2017

PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to verify the property of self-healing, and to propose an appropriate duration for wet curing of bridge deck concrete overlays. METHODS : In this study, reinforced bars were inserted into concrete molds in order to prevent brittle fracture and induced cracks in the concrete resulting from indirect tension mode. The induced time of concrete cracking was 3 to 7 days, following which the concrete specimens were cured in water. The resulting concrete crack width was measured using image analysis equipment. Additionally, the self-healing tests were performed using the following three mixtures: OPC, SFC, and LMC. RESULTS : Concrete mixtures with crack widths of $150{\mu}m$ or lower were completely healed by Day 28. Hydrates of crack fills were found to be the calcium carbonate. CONCLUSIONS : The cement-based mixtures exhibit properties of self-healing. Considering these properties, it is necessary to increase the curing duration of concrete overlays for bridge decks.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.483-491
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• 2017

This paper presents an experimental study on the behavior of concrete-encased composite columns with multiseparate steel sections subjected to axial and eccentric loads. Six 1/4-scaled concrete-encased composite columns were tested under static loads. The specimens were identical in geometric dimensions and configurations, and the parameter of this experiment was the eccentricity ratio of the applied load. Each two of the specimens were loaded with 0, 10%, and 15% eccentricity ratios. The capacity, deformation pattern, and failure mode of the specimens were carefully examined. Test results indicate that full composite action between the concrete and the steel sections can be realized even though the steel sections do not connect with one another. The concrete-encased composite columns can develop stable behavior and sufficient deformation capacity by providing enough transverse reinforcing bars. Capacities of the specimens were evaluated based on both the Plain Section Assumption (PSA) method and the superimposition method. Results show that U.S. and Chinese codes can be accurate and safe in terms of bending capacities. Test results also indicate that the ACI 318 and Mirza methods give the best predictions on the flexural stiffness of this kind of composite columns.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.36-43
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• 2023

In this study, a four-point bending test was conducted to assess and detect the damage to reinforced concrete structures using the acoustic emission (AE) technique. Based on the crack investigation results, flexural failure was classified into four stages and compared with the characteristic analysis results of AE parameters. The parametric characterization indicated that the activity of the primary AE signal was high in the early stage, and that of the second signal increased after the flexural cracks stabilized. Because the secondary AE signal included noise generated by friction, parameter-based analysis for damage assessment was performed using the primary signal; the secondary signal was used as complement. The activity analyses of the primary and secondary signals effectively classified crack propagation; however, determining the macrocracks and yielding of reinforcing bars had certain limitations. Nevertheless, applying the damage index with cumulative AE energy is a complementary technique for detecting and assessing structure damage that well detects the occurrence of macrocracks.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.275-283
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• 2018

Seismic strengthening is essential for existing bridge piers which are deficient to resist the earthquake. The concrete and CFRP jackets with a bottom-anchoring method are used to strengthen railway bridge piers with low reinforcement ratio. Quasi-static tests of scaled down model piers are performed to evaluate the seismic performance of the original and strengthened bridge pier. The fracture characteristics indicate that the vulnerable position of the railway bridge pier with low reinforcement ratio during earthquake is the pier-footing region and shows flexural failure mode. The force-displacement relationships show that the two strengthening techniques using CFRP and concrete jackets can both provide a significant improvement in load-carrying capacity for railway bridge piers with low reinforcement ratio. It is clear that the bottom-anchoring method by using planted steel bars can guarantee the CFRP and concrete jackets to work jointly with original concrete piers Furthermore, it can be found that the use of CFRP jacket offers advantages over concrete jacket in improving the energy dissipation capacity under lateral cyclic loading. Therefore, the seismic strengthening techniques by the use of CFRP and concrete jackets provide alternative choices for the large numbers of existing railway bridge piers with low reinforcement ratio in China.