• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.365-375
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• 2017

An experimental evaluation of crack propagation and post-cracking behavior in steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams, using full-field displacements obtained from the digital image correlation technique is presented. Surface displacements and strains during the fracture test of notched SFRC beams with volume fractions ($V_f$) of steel fibers equal to 0.5 and 0.75% are analyzed. An analysis procedure for determining the crack opening width over the depth of the beam during crack propagation in the flexure test is presented. The crack opening width is established as a function of the crack tip opening displacement and the residual flexural strength of SFRC beams. The softening in the post-peak load response is associated with the rapid surface crack propagation for small increases in crack tip opening displacement. The load recovery in the flexural response of SFRC is associated with a hinge-type behavior in the beam. For the stress gradient produced by flexure, the hinge is established before load recovery is initiated. The resistance provided by the fibers to the opening of the hinge produces the load recovery in the flexural response.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.319-341
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• 2009

A new formulation based on lumped plasticity and inelastic hinges is presented in this paper for nonlinear analysis of Reinforced Concrete (RC) frame structures. Inelastic hinge behaviour is described using the principles of Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM). Member formulation contains provisions to model stiffness degradation due to cracking of concrete and yielding of reinforcing steel. Depending on its nature, cracking is classified as concentrated or distributed. Concentrated cracking is accounted through a damage variable and its growth is defined based on strain energy principles. Presence of distributed flexural cracks in a member is taken care of by modelling it as non-prismatic. Plasticity theory supported by effective stress concept of CDM is applied to describe the post-yield response. Nonlinear quasi-static analysis is carried out on a RC column and a wide two-storey RC frame to verify the formulation. The column is subjected to constant axial load and monotonic lateral load while the frame is subjected to only lateral load. Computed results are compared with those due to experiments or other numerical methods to validate the performance of the formulation and also to highlight the contribution of distributed cracking on global response.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.599-606
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• 2003

An analytical model which can simulate the post-cracking nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) members such as bars and panels subjected to uniaxial and biaxial tensile stresses is presented. The proposed model includes the description of biaxial failure criteria and the average stress-strain relation of reinforcing steel. Based on strain distribution functions of steel and concrete after cracking, average response of an embedded reinforcement, a criterion to consider the tension-stiffening effect is proposed using the concept of average stresses and strains. The validity of the introduced model is established by comparing the analytical predictions for reinforced concrete tension members with results from experimental studies. Finally, correlation studies between analytical results and experimental data from biaxial tension test are conducted with the objective to establish the validity of the proposed models and identify the significance of various effects on the response of biaxially loaded reinforced concrete panels.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.713-737
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• 2006

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the behaviour of 56 reinforced concrete beams subjected to pure torsion. The reported results include the behaviour curves, the failure modes and the values of the pre-cracking torsional stiffness, the cracking and ultimate torsional moments and the corresponding twists. The influence of the volume of stirrups, the height to width ratios and the arrangement of longitudinal bars on the torsional behaviour is discussed. In order to describe the entire torsional behaviour of the tested beams, the combination of two different analytical models is used. The prediction of the elastic till the first cracking part is achieved using a smeared crack analysis for plain concrete in torsion, whereas for the description of the post-cracking response the softened truss model is used. A simple modification to the softened truss model to include the effect of confinement is also attempted. Calculated torsional behaviour of the tested beams and 21 beams available in the literature are compared with the experimental ones and a very good agreement is observed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.417-432
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• 2004

An analytical model which can simulate the post-cracking nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) members such as bars and panels subject to uniaxial and biaxial stresses is presented. The proposed model includes the description of biaxial failure criteria and the average stress-strain relation of reinforcing steel. Based on strain distribution functions of steel and concrete after cracking, a criterion to consider the tension-stiffening effect is proposed using the concept of average stresses and strains. The validity of the introduced model is established by comparing the analytical predictions for reinforced concrete uniaxial tension members with results from experimental studies. In advance, correlation studies between analytical results and experimental data are also extended to RC panels subject to biaxial tensile stresses to verify the efficiency of the proposed model and to identify the significance of various effects on the response of biaxially loaded reinforced concrete panels.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.305-317
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• 2018

Steel reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) components have been proposed for seismic structural applications, for example in coupling beams, infill panels, joints, columns, and flexural members. The development of strain in the steel reinforcement of cementitious components has been shown to vary based on both the steel reinforcement ratio and the applied deformation history. Strain in the steel reinforcement of reinforced ECC components is an important structural response metric because ultimate failure is often by fracture of the steel reinforcement. A recently proposed bond-slip model has been successfully calibrated to cyclically tested reinforced ECC beams wherein the deformation history contained monotonically increasing cycles. This paper reports simulations of two-dimensional finite element models of reinforced ECC beams to determine the appropriateness and significance of altering a phenomenological bond-slip model based on the applied deformation history. The numerical simulations with various values of post-peak bond-slip softening stiffness are compared to experimental results. Varying the post-peak bond-slip softening stiffness had little effect on the cracking patterns and hysteretic response of the reinforced ECC flexural models tested, which consisted of two different steel reinforcement ratios subjected to two different deformation histories. Varying the post-peak bond-slip softening stiffness did, however, affect the magnitude of strain and the length of reinforcing bar that strain-hardened. Overall, a numerical model with a constant bond-slip model represented well various responses in reinforced ECC beams with multiple steel reinforcement ratios subjected to different deformation histories.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.647-665
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• 2014

Squat reinforced concrete walls require enough shear strength in order to promote flexural yielding, which creates the need for designers of an accurate method for strength prediction. In many cases, especially for existing buildings, strength estimates might be insufficient when more accurate analyses are needed, such as pushover analysis. In this case, estimates of load versus displacement are required for building modeling. A model is developed that predicts the shear load versus shear deformation of squat reinforced concrete walls by means of a panel formulation. In order to provide a simple, design-oriented tool, the formulation considers the wall as a single element, which presents an average strain and stress field for the entire wall. Simple material constitutive laws for concrete and steel are used. The developed models can be divided into two categories: (i) rotating-angle and (ii) fixed-angle models. In the first case, the principal stress/strain direction rotates for each drift increment. This situation is addressed by prescribing the average normal strain of the panel. The formation of a crack, which can be interpreted as a fixed principal strain direction is imposed on the second formulation via calibration of the principal stress/strain direction obtained from the rotating-angle model at a cracking stage. Two alternatives are selected for the cracking point: fcr and 0.5fcr (post-peak). In terms of shear capacity, the model results are compared with an experimental database indicating that the fixed-angle models yield good results. The overall response (load-displacement) is also reasonable well predicted for specimens with diagonal compression failure.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.18-21
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• 2004

This paper discusses how steel cord and PVA hybrid fibers enhance the performance of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (HPRFCC) in terms of elastic limit, strain hardening response and post peak of the composites. The effect of microfiber(PVA) blending ratio is presented. For this purpose flexure, direct tension and split tension tests were conducted. It was found that HFRCC specimen shows multiple cracking in the area subjected to the greatest bending tensile stress. Uniaxial tensile test confirms the range of tensile strain capacity from 0.5 to $1.5\%$ when hybrid fiber is used. The cyclic loading test results identified a unique unloading and reloading response for this ductile composite. Cyclic loading in tension appears not to affect the tensile response of the material if the uniaxial compressive strength during loading is not exceeded.

• KCI Concrete Journal
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 2000

Potentially significant mechanical improvements in tension can be achieved by the incorporation of randomly distributed, short discrete fibers in concrete. The improvements due to the incorporation fibers significantly influence the composite stress - strain ($\sigma$-$\varepsilon$) characteristics. In general incorporating fibers in a plain concrete has relatively small effect on its precracking behavior. It, however, alters its post-cracking behavior quite significantly, resulting in greatly improved ductility, crack controls, and energy absorption capacity (or toughness). Therefore, a thorough understanding the complete tensile stress - strain ($\sigma$-$\varepsilon$) response of fiber reinforced concrete is necessary for proper analysis while using structural components made with fiber reinforced concrete. Direct tensile stress applied to a specimen is in principle the simplest configuration for determining the tensile response of concrete. However, problems associated with testing brittle materials in tension include (i) the problem related to gripping of the specimen and (ii) the problem of ensuring centric loading. Routinely, indirect tension tests for plain concrete, flexural and split-cylinder tests, have been used as simpler alternatives to direct uniaxial tension test. They are assumed to suitable for fiber reinforced concrete since typically such composites comprise 98% by volume of plain concrete. Clearly since the post-cracking characteristics are significantly influenced by the reinforcing parameters and interface characteristics, it would be fundamentally incorrect to use indirect tensile tests for determining the tensile properties of fiber reinforced concrete. The present investigation represents a systematic look at the failure and toughening mechanisms and macroscopic stress - strain ($\sigma$-$\varepsilon$) characteristics of fiber reinforced concrete in the uniaxial tension test. Results from an experimental parametric study involving used fiber quantity, type, and mechanical properties in the uniaxial tension test are presented and discussed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.1
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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.