• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.765-777
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• 2022

Ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) can be used in the UHPC-steel composite structures especially for bridge structures to achieve high stiffness and high fatigue resistance with low self-weight. The structural performances of UHPC-steel composite slabs subjected to hogging moment have a significant influence on the global stiffness and durability of UHPC-steel composite structures. In order to study the structural behaviors of non-steam-cured UHPC-steel composite slabs subjected to negative moment, five composite slabs combined the thin UHPC layers to steel plates via shear stud connecters with the diameter of 16mm were fabricated and tested under negative moment. The test program aimed to investigate the effect of stud spacing and longitudinal reinforcement ratios on the failure mode, load-deflection behaviors, cracking patterns, bond-slips, and carrying capacities of composite slabs subjected to negative moment. In addition, direct tensile tests for the dog-bone UHPC specimens with longitudinal reinforcement bars were carried out to study the effect of reinforcement bars on the tensile strength of UHPC in the thin structure members. Based on the experimental results, analytical models were also developed to predict the cracking load and ultimate load of UHPC-steel composite slabs subjected to negative moment.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.109-125
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• 2014

The force transfer mechanism in positive moment continuity details for prestressed concrete girder bridges is investigated in this paper using a three-dimensional detailed finite element model. Positive moment reinforcement in the form of hairpin bars as recommended by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report No 519 is incorporated in the model. The cold construction joint that develops at the interface between girder ends and continuity diaphragms is also simulated via contact elements. The model is then subjected to the positive moment and corresponding shear forces that would develop over the service life of the bridge. The stress distribution in the continuity diaphragm and the axial force distribution in the hairpin bars are presented. It was found that due to the asymmetric configuration of the hairpin bars, asymmetric stress distribution develops at the continuity diaphragm, which can be exacerbated by other asymmetric factors such as skewed bridge configurations. It was also observed that when the joint is subjected to a positive moment, the tensile force is transferred from the girder end to the continuity diaphragm only through the hairpin bars due to the lack of contact between the both members at the construction joint. As a result, the stress distribution at girder ends was found to be concentrated around the hairpin bars influence area, rather than be resisted by the entire girder composite section. Finally, the results are used to develop an approach for estimating the cracking moment capacity at girder ends based on a proposed effective moment of inertia.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

This paper discusses a framework for predicting the flexural strength of prestressed and non-prestressed FRP reinforced T-shaped concrete beams using soft computing techniques. An analysis of 83 tests performed on T-beams of varying widths has been conducted for this purpose with different widths of compressive face, beam depth, compressive strength of concrete, area of prestressed and non-prestressed FRP bars, elasticity modulus of prestressed and non-prestressed FRP bars, and the ultimate tensile strength of prestressed and non-prestressed FRP bars. By analyzing the data using two soft computing techniques, named artificial neural networks (ANN) and gene expression programming (GEP), the fundamental parameters affecting the flexural performance of prestressed and non-prestressed FRP reinforced T-shaped beams were identified. The results showed that although the proposed ANN model outperformed the GEP model with higher values of R and lower error values, the closed-form equation of the GEP model can provide a simple way to predict the effect of input parameters on flexural strength as the output. The sensitivity analysis results revealed the most influential input parameters in ANN and GEP models are respectively the beam depth and elasticity modulus of FRP bars.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.16 no.5 s.83
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• pp.635-643
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• 2004

In this study, the tensile strength of 321 full-sized grout-filled splice steeve specimens were compared and analyzed in order to afford the data for a reasonable and economical design of this system. The experimental variables analyzed in this study were embedment length of reinforcing bars, compressive strength of grout, sleeve geometry, loading pattern and final failure mode of specimen. Following main conclusions are obtained : 1) The strength of grout-filled splice sleeve tends to be improved with increasing compressive strength of grout and embedment length of reinforcing bars. Specially this tendency appears apparent in specimens of bond failure rather than rebar failure. 2) The results of this study show that the sleeve geometry have influence on the bond strength of grout-filled splice sleeve. 3) The grout-filled splice sleeve of bond failure don't show the difference of tensile strength according to size of rebar. 4) It is verified that the tensile strength required in ACI and domestic code is retained either when the compressive strength of grout over 70 MPa is used with embedment length of reinforcing bars over 4.5d or when the compressive strength of grout over 80 MPa is used with embedment length of rebars over 3.9d. 5) It is verified that the tensile strength required in AIJ code is retained in case when the embedment length of reinforcing bars is 0.8 times the rebar diameter longer than in ACI code.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.311-324
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate experimentally the fatigue performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with hot-rolled ribbed fine-grained steel bars of yielding strength 500MPa (HRBF500). Three rectangular and three T-section RC beams with HRBF500 bars were constructed and tested under static and constant-amplitude cyclic loading. Prior to the application of repeated loading, all beams were initially cracked under static loading. The major test variables were the steel ratio, cross-sectional shape and stress range. The stress evolution of HRBF500 bars, the information about crack growth and the deflection developments of test beams were presented and analyzed. Rapid increases in deflections and tension steel stress occured in the early stages of fatigue loading, and were followed by a relatively stable period. Test results indicate that, the concrete beams reinforced with appropriate amount of HRBF500 bars can survive 2.5 million cycles of constant-amplitude cyclic loading with no apparent signs of damage, on condition that the initial extreme tensile stress in HRBF500 steel bars was controlled less than 150 MPa. It was also found that, the initial extreme tension steel stress, stress range, and steel ratio were the main factors that affected the fatigue properties of RC beams with HRBF500 bars, whose effects on fatigue properties were fully discussed in this paper, while the cross-sectional shape had no significant influence in fatigue properties. The results provide important guidance for the fatigue design of concrete beams reinforced with HRBF500 steel bars.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.9 no.3 s.32
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• pp.377-390
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• 1997

The objective of this study is to investigate the structural behavior of concrete-filled steel tubular column to H-beam connections with reinforced bar. As a preliminary test, simple tensile test on the column to H-beam connections stiffened were conducted. The parameters of tensile test are the diameters of each rebars. The simple tensile test were conducted to 5 kinds of specimens. Estimating the load. displacement and strain for specimens, the result of tensile test were compared with the results of main test. On the basis of simple tensile test, tests are conducted to montonic and cyclic loading column to H-beam connections with the same diameters of rebars. Specimens of 5 are made for monotonic and cyclic loading test. In analysis, estimating the yielding strength and maximum strength of specimens on the basis of yield line theory, strength formula of beam-to column connections with concrete-filled steel tubular column was suggested.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.365-373
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• 2016

Ultra-High-Performance Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (SUPER Concrete) exhibits improved compressive and tensile strengths far superior to those of conventional concrete. These characteristics can significantly reduce the cross sectional area of the member and the anchorage strength of a headed bar is expected to be improved. In this study, the anchorage strengths of headed bars with $4d_b$ or $6d_b$ embedment length were evaluated by simulated exterior beam-column joint tests where the headed bars were used as beam bars and the joints were cast of 120 or 180 MPa SUPER Concrete. In all specimens, the actual yield strengths of the headed bars over 600 MPa were developed. Some headed bars were fractured due to the high anchorage capacity in SUPER Concrete. Therefore, the headed bar with only $4d_b$ embedment length in 120 MPa SUPER Concrete can develop a yield strength of 600 MPa which is the highest design yield strength permitted by the KCI design code. The previous model derived from tests with normal concrete and the current design code underestimate the anchorage capacity of the headed bar anchored in SUPER Concrete. Because the previous model and the current design code do not consider the effects of the high tensile strength of SUPER Concrete. From a regression analysis assuming that the anchorage strength is proportional to $(f_{ck})^{\alpha}$, the model for predicting anchorage strength of headed bars in SUPER Concrete is developed. The average and coefficient of variation of the test-to-prediction values are 1.01 and 5%, respectively.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.219-229
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• 2018

In this paper, a modified rigid body spring model (RBSM) is proposed and used to analyze the damage and failure process of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In the proposed model, the concrete is represented by an assembly of rigid blocks connected with a uniform distribution of normal and tangential springs to simulate the macroscopic mechanical behavior of concrete. Steel bars are evenly dispersed into rigid blocks as a kind of homogeneous axial material, and an additional uniform distribution of axial and dowel springs is defined to consider the axial stiffness and dowel action of steel bars. Perfect bond between the concrete and steel bars is assumed, and tension stiffening effect of steel bars is modeled by adjusting the constitutive relationship for the tensile reinforcement. Adjacent blocks are allowed to separate at the contact interface, which makes it convenient and easy to simulate the cracking process of concrete. The failure of the springs is determined by the Mohr-Coulomb type criterion with the tension and compression caps. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by elastic analyses of a cantilever beam under different loading conditions and failure analyses of a RC beam under two-point loading.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.693-700
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• 2017

Concrete cover cracking due to the corrosion of steel reinforcing bars is one of the main causes of deterioration in Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures. The oxidation level of the bars causes varying levels of expansion. The rebar expansions could lead to through-thickness cracking of the concrete cover, where depending on the cracking characteristics, the service life of the structures would be affected. In this paper, the effect of geometrical and material parameters, i.e., concrete cover thickness, reinforcing bar diameter, and concrete tensile strength, on the required pressure for concrete cover cracking due to corrosion has been investigated through detailed numerical simulations. ABAQUS finite element software is employed as a modeling platform where the concrete cracking is simulated by means of eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM). The accuracy of the numerical simulations is verified by comparing the numerical results with experimental data obtained from the literature. Using a previously proposed empirical equation and the numerical model, the time from corrosion initiation to the cover cracking is predicted and then compared to the respective experimental data. Finally, a parametric study is undertaken to determine the optimum ratio of the rebar diameter to the reinforcing bars spacing in order to avoid concrete cover delamination.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.349-355
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• 2019

This study deals with the microstructure and tensile properties of 600 MPa-grade seismic reinforced steel bars fabricated by a pilot plant. The steel bar specimens are composed of a fully ferrite-pearlite structure because they were air-cooled after hot-rolling. The volume fraction and interlamellar spacing of the pearlite and the ferrite grain size decrease from the center region to the surface region because the surface region is more rapidly cooled than the center region. The A steel bar specimenwith a relatively high carbon content generally has a higher pearlite volume fraction and interlamellar spacing of pearlite and a finer ferrite grain size because increasing the carbon content promotes the formation of pearlite. As a result, the A steel bar specimen has a higher hardness than the B steel bar in all the regions. The hardness shows a tendency to decrease from the center region to the surface region due to the decreased pearlite volume fraction. On the other hand, the tensile-to-yield strength ratio and the tensile strength of the A steel bar specimen are higher than those of the B steel bar with a relatively low carbon content because a higher pearlite volume fraction enhances work hardening. In addition, the B steel bar specimen has higher uniform and total elongations because a lower pearlite volume fraction facilitates plastic deformation caused by dislocation slip.