• Computers and Concrete
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.35-50
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• 2012

The 2D representative volume element (RVE) for softening quasi-brittle materials like concrete is determined. Two alternative methods are presented to determine a size of RVE in concrete subjected to uniaxial tension by taking into account strain localization. Concrete is described as a heterogeneous three-phase material composed of aggregate, cement matrix and bond. The plane strain FE calculations of strain localization at meso-scale are carried out with an isotropic damage model with non-local softening.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.21-30
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• 2006

In case of an urban tunnel, the displacement of ground base controls the tunnel design because it is built on shallow and unconsolidated ground many times. There are more insufficiency to describe the ground movement which coincides in the measured result of the situ because the design of an urban tunnel is dependent on the method of numerical analysis used to the existing elastic and elasto-plastic models. We studied about the predict ion for the ground movement of a shallow tunnel in unconsolidated ground, mechanism of collapse, and settlement. Also this paper shows comparison with the existing elastic and elasto-plastic model using the unlinear analysis of the strain-softening model. We can model the real ground movement as the increasement of ground surface inclination or occurrence of shear band by using strain-softening model for the result of ground movement of an urban NATM tunnel.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1856-1863
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• 2003

Overlay model had several advantages to describe hysteretic behavior of material and showed good capability for many engineering materials. However, this model is only applicable to material obeying Masing postulate. Some materials such as 316L stainless steel do not follow Masing postulate and show cyclic hardening(or softening) and strain range dependence. Low cycle fatigue tests of 316L stainless steel at 600$^{\circ}C$ were performed to investigate the characteristics of cyclic behavior of non-Masing material. From all tests cyclic softening was observed. There were differences in elastic limit of hysteresis loop according to applied strain range. To consider these features, modified overlay model was developed. Yield stresses of subelements were divided into isotropic and anisotropic part to describe the non-Masing behavior. The plastic strain range memorization was introduced to consider the strain range dependence. The prediction using modified overlay model showed a good accordance to actual hysteresis loops.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.421-424
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• 2008

Ultra high strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete is characterized with high tensile strength and ductility. This paper revealed the influence of fiber volume fraction on the tensile softening behaviour of ultra high strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete and developed tensile softening model to predict the deformation capacity by finite element method analysis with experimental results. The initial stiffness of ultra high strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete was constant irrespective of fiber volume fraction. The increase of fiber volume fraction improved the flexural tensile strength and caused more brittle softening behaviour. Finite element method analysis proposed by Uchida et al. was introduced to obtain the tensile softening curve from three point notched beam test results and we proposed the tensile softening model as a function of fiber volume fraction and critical crack width.

• 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.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.753-762
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• 2012

The ratcheting characteristics of cylindrical shell under cyclic axial loading are investigated. The specimens are subjected to stress-controlled cycling with non-zero mean stress, which causes the accumulation of plastic strain or ratcheting behavior in continuous cycles. Also, cylindrical shell shows softening behavior under symmetric axial strain-controlled loading and due to the localized buckling, which occurs in the compressive stress-strain curve of the shell; it has more residual plastic strain in comparison to the tensile stress-strain hysteresis curve. The numerical analysis was carried out by ABAQUS software using hardening models. The nonlinear isotropic/kinematic hardening model accurately simulates the ratcheting behavior of shell. Although hardening models are incapable of simulating the softening behavior of the shell, this model analyzes the softening behavior well. Moreover, the model calculates the residual plastic strain close to the experimental data. Experimental tests were performed using an INSTRON 8802 servo-hydraulic machine. Simulations show good agreement between numerical and experimental results. The results reveal that the rate of plastic strain accumulation increases for the first few cycles and then reduces in the subsequent cycles. This reduction is more rapid for numerical results in comparison to experiments.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.18 no.3E
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• pp.191-198
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• 2006

The objective of this study is to examine fracture characteristics of concrete at early ages, i.g. critical stress intensity factor, critical crack-tip opening displacement, fracture energy, and bilinear softening curve based on the concepts of effective-elastic crack model and cohesive crack model. A wedge splitting test for Mode I was performed on cubic wedge specimens with a notch at the edge. By experimenting with various strengths and ages, load-crack mouth opening curves were obtained, and the results were analyzed by linear elastic fracture mechanics and FEM(finite element method). The results from the test and analysis showed that critical stress intensity factor and facture energy increased while critical crack-tip opening displacement decreased with concrete aging from 1 day to 28 days. Four parameters of bilinear softening curve from 1 day to 28 days were obtained from a numerical analysis. The obtained fracture parameters and bilinear softening curves at early ages from this study are to be used as a fracture criterion and an input data for the finite element analysis of concrete at early ages.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.447-461
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• 2010

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have been widely used as reinforcement for concrete structures. However, under elevated temperatures, the difference between the transverse coefficients of thermal expansion of FRP rebars and concrete may cause the splitting cracks of the concrete cover. As a result, the bonding of FRP-reinforced concrete may not sustain its function to transfer load between the FRP rebar and the surrounding concrete. The current study investigates the cracking resistance of FRP reinforced concrete against the thermal expansion based on a mechanical model that accounts for the tensile softening behavior of concrete. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed model, the critical temperature increments at which the splitting failure of the concrete cover occurs and the internal crack radii estimated are compared with the results obtained from the previous studies. Simplified equations for estimating the critical temperature increments and the minimum concrete cover required to prevent concrete splitting failure for a designated temperature increment are also derived for design purpose.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.182-187
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• 2003

The analysis of mud pumping which causes track irregularities during softening of present roadbed is needed in order to prepare countermeasure that is efficient and reasonable against the softening of railway roadbed. In this study, model tests were performed in order to evaluate property of the railway softening under the train loading, considering the wheel load and the impact coefficient due to the train passing velocity. The existence of the mud pumping, settlements of roadbed and vertical earth pressure were measured under the train loading.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.433-455
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• 2004

The paper presents results of FE-calculations on shear localizations in quasi-brittle materials during both an uniaxial plane strain compression and uniaxial plane strain extension. An elasto-plastic model with a linear Drucker-Prager type criterion using isotropic hardening and softening and non-associated flow rule was used. A non-local extension was applied in a softening regime to capture realistically shear localization and to obtain a well-posed boundary value problem. A characteristic length was incorporated via a weighting function. Attention was focused on the effect of mesh size, mesh alignment, non-local parameter and imperfections on the thickness and inclination of shear localization. Different methods to calculate plastic strain rates were carefully discussed.