• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.5
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• pp.569-582
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• 2018

Effects of crack separation, bridge area, on the tensile behaviour of concrete are studied experimentally and numerically through the Brazilian tensile test. The physical data obtained from the Brazilian tests are used to calibrate the two-dimensional particle flow code based on discrete element method (DEM). Then some specially designed Brazilian disc specimens containing two parallel cracks are used to perform the physical tests in the laboratory and numerically simulated to make the suitable numerical models to be tested. The experimental and numerical results of the Brazilian disc specimens are compared to conclude the validity and applicability of these models used in this research. Validation of the simulated models can be easily checked with the results of Brazilian tests performed on non-persistent cracked physical models. The Brazilian discs used in this work have a diameter of 54 mm and contain two parallel centred cracks ($90^{\circ}$ to the horizontal) loaded indirectly under the compressive line loading. The lengths of cracks are considered as; 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm and 40 mm, respectively. The visually observed failure process gained through numerical Brazilian tests are found to be very similar to those obtained through the experimental tests. The fracture patterns demonstrated by DEM simulations are mostly affected by the crack separation but the tensile strength of bridge area is related to the fracture pattern and failure mechanism of the testing samples. It has also been shown that when the crack lengths are less than 30 mm, the tensile cracks may initiate from the cracks tips and propagate parallel to loading direction till coalesce with the other cracks tips while when the cracks lengths are more than 30 mm, these tensile cracks may propagate through the intact concrete itself rather than that of the bridge area.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.185-196
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• 2017

Durability problems initiated from steel corrosion are unseen but critical issues, so that many researches are focused on chloride penetration evaluation. Even if RC (Reinforced Concrete) structures are exposed to normal environment, chloride ingress varies with concrete surface conditions and exposed period. This paper presents an analysis technique for chloride behavior evaluation considering time effect on diffusion and surface conditions assumed as double-layered system. For evaluation of deteriorated surface condition, field investigation was performed for concrete pavement exposed to deicing agent for 18 years. In order to consider enhanced surface concrete, chloride profiles in surface-impregnated concretes exposed to chloride attack for 2 years from previous research were investigated. Through reverse analysis, effectively deteriorated/enhanced depth of surface and the related reduced/enlarged diffusion coefficient in the depth are simulated. The proposed analysis technique was evaluated to handle the chloride behavior more accurately considering changes of chloride ingress within surface layer and decreased diffusion coefficient with time. For the concrete surface exposed to deicing agent, the deteriorated depth and enlarged diffusion coefficient are evaluated to be 12.5~15.0 mm and 200% increasing diffusion coefficient, respectively. The results in concrete containing enhanced cover show 10.0~12.5 mm of impregnated depth and 85% reduction of chloride diffusion in tidal and submerged conditions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.203-223
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• 2014

The extensive use of prestressed reinforced concrete (PSC) highway bridges in marine environment drastically increases the sensitivity to both fatigue-and corrosion-induced damage of their critical structural components during their service lives. Within this scenario, an integrated method that is capable of evaluating the fatigue reliability, identifying a condition-based maintenance, and predicting the remaining service life of its critical components is therefore needed. To accomplish this goal, a procedure for fatigue reliability prediction of PSC highway bridges is proposed in the present study. Vehicle-bridge coupling vibration analysis is performed for obtaining the equivalent moment ranges of critical section of bridges under typical fatigue truck models. Three-dimensional nonlinear mathematical models of fatigue trucks are simplified as an eleven-degree-of-freedom system. Road surface roughness is simulated as zero-mean stationary Gaussian random processes using the trigonometric series method. The time-dependent stress-concentration factors of reinforcing bars and prestressing tendons are accounted for more accurate stress ranges determination. The limit state functions are constructed according to the Miner's linear damage rule, the time-dependent S-N curves of prestressing tendons and the site-specific stress cycle prediction. The effectiveness of the methodology framework is demonstrated to a T-type simple supported multi-girder bridge for fatigue reliability evaluation.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.293-302
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• 2020

Connections play a significant role in strength of structures against earthquake-induced loads. According to the post-seismic reports, connection failure is a cause of overall failure in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Connection failure results in a sudden increase in inter-story drift, followed by early and progressive failure across the entire structure. This article investigated the cyclic performance and behavioral improvement of shape-memory alloy-based connections (SMA-based connections). The novelty of the present work is focused on the effect of shape memory alloy bars is damage reduction, strain recoverability, and cracking distribution of the stated material in RC moment frames under seismic loads using 3D nonlinear static analyses. The present numerical study was verified using two experimental connections. Then, the performance of connections was studied using 14 models with different reinforcement details on a scale of 3:4. The response parameters under study included moment-rotation, secant stiffness, energy dissipation, strain of bar, and moment-curvature of the connection. The connections were simulated using LS-DYNA environment. The models with longitudinal SMA-based bars, as the main bars, could eliminate residual plastic rotations and thus reduce the demand for post-earthquake structural repairs. The flag-shaped stress-strain curve of SMA-based materials resulted in a very slight residual drift in such connections.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2014.05a
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• pp.178-179
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• 2014

Corrosion is very serious problem in RC structure under ocean environment. There is no enough experiment information using the reinforced geo polymer concrete applied by electo chemical protection system. Three condition, such as tidal zone, submerged zone and crack were simulated to geo polymer specimen. Corrosion rate and natural electrode potential were measured through accelerated test. Anti corrosion property of geo polymer was better than OPC regardless of specimen condition and applied time.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 2020

Crack control is essential to increase the durability of concrete significantly. Healing of crack can be controlled by rehydration of unreacted clinkers at the crack surface. In this paper, by comparing the results of isothermal calorimetry test and regression analysis, the Parrot & Killoh's cement hydration model was verified and clink er hydration model was proposed. The composition and quantification of hydration products were simulated by combining kinematic hydration model and thermodynamic model. Hydration simulation was conducted using the verified and proposed hydration model, and the simulation was performed by the substitution rate of clink er. The type and quantity of the final hydration product and healing product were predicted and, in addition, the optimal cementitious material of self-healing concrete was selected using the proposed hydration model.

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.81-92
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• 2015

Construction waste mainly consists of concrete aggregates of various size. Improper handling of concrete waste would be a major environmental problem whereas its recycling would be both economically useful and environmentally friendly. Bigger concrete aggregates are crushed and converted to medium and fine particles to make them recyclable. An apparatus to separate the concrete aggregates by their size is thus needed for their effective recycling. In this work, segregation of concrete particles in air flows from a newly designed rotary separator having three stages of blades is simulated using a commercial software, ANSYS-CFX. Both 2-D and 3-D models with 360, 240 and 180 blades in each stage are considered. Fundamental mechanism of separation of particles(pase) and the effect of design parameters such as particle size, rotor speed, air flow rate etc. on the performance of the separator are investigated. Critical size of particles that can be separated by the developed separator is also presented in this work. Simulation results are overall in good agreement with data predicted from the theoretical model previously reported in the companion paper.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.241-247
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• 2019

In this paper the effect of bedding layer on the failure mechanism of rock in direct shear test has been investigated using particle flow code, PFC. For this purpose, firstly calibration of pfc2d was performed using Brazilian tensile strength. Secondly direct shear test consisting bedding layer was simulated numerically. Thickness of layers was 10 mm and rock bridge length was 10 mm, 40 mm and 60 mm. In each rock bridge length, bedding layer angles changes from $0^{\circ}$ to $90^{\circ}$ with increment of $15^{\circ}$. Totally 21 models were simulated and tested. The results show that two types of cracks develop within the model. Shear cracks and tensile cracks. Also failure pattern is affected by bridge length while shear strength is controlled by failure pattern. It's to be noted that bedding layer has not any effect on the failure pattern because the layer interface strength is too high.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2019

The biaxial failure mechanism of transversally bedding concrete layers was numerically simulated using a sophisticated two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) implemented in the particle flow code (PFC2D). This numerical modelling code was first calibrated by uniaxial compression and Brazilian testing results to ensure the conformity of the simulated numerical model's response. Secondly, 21 rectangular models with dimension of $54mm{\times}108mm$ were built. Each model contains two transversely bedding layers. The first bedding layer has low mechanical properties, less than mechanical properties of intact material, and second bedding layer has high mechanical properties, more than mechanical properties of intact material. The angle of first bedding layer, with weak mechanical properties, related to loading direction was $0^{\circ}$, $15^{\circ}$, $30^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$, $60^{\circ}$, $75^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$ while the angle of second layer, with high mechanical properties, related to loading direction was $90^{\circ}$, $105^{\circ}$, $120^{\circ}$, $135^{\circ}$, $150^{\circ}$, $160^{\circ}$ and $180^{\circ}$. Is to be note that the angle between bedding layer was $90^{\circ}$ in all bedding configurations. Also, three different pairs of the thickness were chosen in models, i.e., 5 mm/10 mm, 10 mm/10 mm and 20 mm/10 mm. The result shows that in all configurations, shear cracks develop between the weaker bedding layers. Shear cracks angel related to normal load change from $0^{\circ}$ to $90^{\circ}$ with increment of $15^{\circ}$. Numbers of shear cracks are constant by increasing the bedding thickness. It's to be noted that in some configuration, tensile cracks develop through the intact area of material model. There is not any failure in direction of bedding plane interface with higher strength.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.381-397
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• 2015

Connections are the most important regions in a structural system especially for buildings in seismic zones. In R.C. structures due to large dimensions of members and lack of cognition of the stress distribution in a connection, reaching a comprehensive understanding of the connection behaviors becomes more complicated. The shear wall-to-floor slab connections in lateral load resisting systems have a potential weakness in transferring loads from slabs to shear walls which might change the path of load transformation to shear walls. This paper tries to investigate the effects of seismic load combinations on the behavior of slabs at their connection zones with the shear walls. These connection zones naturally are the most critical regions of the slabs in RC buildings. The investigation carried on in a simulated environment by considering three different structures with different shear wall layout. The final results of our study reveal that layout of shear walls in a building significantly affects the magnification of forces developed at the shear wall-floor slab connections.