The ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) mixed with hybrid fibers has excellent mechanical properties and durability, and the hybrid fibers have a certain impact on the bearing capacity, deformation capacity, and crack propagation of beams. Many scholars have conducted a series of studies on the bending performance of prestressed UHPC beams, but there are few studies on prestressed UHPC beams mixed with hybrid fibers. In this study, five bonded post-tensioned partially prestressed UHPC beams mixed with steel fibers and macro-polyolefin fibers were poured and subjected to four-points symmetric loading bending tests. The effects of different prestressing degrees and prestressing levels on the load-deflection curves, crack propagation, failure modes and ultimate bearing capacity of beams were discussed. The results showed that flexural failure occurred in the prestressed UHPC beams with hybrid fibers, and the integrity of specimens was good. When the prestressing degree was the same, the higher the prestressing level, the better the crack resistance capacity of UHPC beams; When the prestressing level was 90%, increasing the prestressing degree was beneficial to improve the crack resistance and ultimate bearing capacity of UHPC beams. When the prestressing degree increased from 0.41 to 0.59, the cracking load and ultimate load increased by 66.0% and 41.4%, respectively, but the ductility decreased by 61.2%. Based on the plane section assumption and considering the bridging effect of short fibers, the cracking moment and ultimate bearing moment were calculated, with good agreement between the test and calculated values.

In recent decades the strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) structural elements using Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) has received much attention. The behavior of RC elements can vary from axial compression to pure bending, depending on their loading. When the compressive behavior is dominant, the FRP jacket application is common, but when the flexural behavior is prevalent, the codes consider the FRP jacket ineffective. Codes suggest applying FRP bars or strips as Near-surface Mounted (NSM) or Externally Bonded (EB) in the tensile face to strengthen the beams under flexure. To strengthen the columns in tension-control mode, some researchers have suggested NSM FRP bars in both tension and compression faces alone or with the FRP jacket (hybrid). However, the number of tests that evaluate the pure bending of the strengthened columns as one of the pivotal points of the axial force-moment interaction curve is limited. In this paper, 11 RC elements strengthened using the NSM (in both tension and compression faces) or hybrid method were subjected to bending to assess the effect of the amount and material type of the FRP bar and jacket and the dimensions of the groove. The test results revealed that the NSM method increased the flexural capacity of the members between 10% to 50%. Furthermore, using the hybrid method increased the capacity between 51% to 91%. Finally, an analytical model was presented considering the effect of the NSM FRP bond in different circumstances, and its results were in good agreement with the experimental results.

This paper utilizes LS-DYNA software to numerically investigate impact response and damage evaluation of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) composite beams (FRP-UHPC beams). Three-dimensional finite element (FE) models are established and calibrated by using literature-based static and impact tests, demonstrating high accuracy in simulating FRP-UHPC beams under impact loading. Parametric analyses explore the effects of impact mass, impactor height, FRP bar type and diameter, and clear span length on dynamic response and damage modes. Two failure modes emerge: tensile failure with bottom longitudinal reinforcement fracture and compression failure with local concrete compression near the impact region. Impact mass or height variation under the same impact energy significantly affects the first peak impact force, but minimally influences peak midspan displacement with a difference of no more than 5% and damage patterns. Increasing static flexural load-carrying capacity enhances FRP-UHPC beam impact resistance, reducing displacement deformation by up to 30%. Despite similar static load-carrying capacities, different FRP bars result in varied impact resistance. The paper proposes a damage assessment index based on impact energy, static load-carrying capacity, and clear span length, correlating well with beam end rotation. Their linearly-fitting coefficient was 1.285, 1.512, and 1.709 for the cases with CFRP, GFRP, and BFRP bars, respectively. This index establishes a foundation for an impact-resistant design method, including a simplified formula for peak midspan displacement assessment.

The I-shaped steel reinforced recycled aggregate concrete (SRRC) composite structure has the advantages of high bearing capacity and environmental protection, and the interfacial bond strength is an important theory. To this end, the I-shaped SRRC bond strength and its calculation based on artificial neural network (ANN) will be studied. Firstly, 39 push out tests of I-shaped SRRC were conducted, the load-slip curve has obvious regularity, which is divided into 4 segments by 3 regular points. Three bond strengths were defined based on these three rule points, and the approximate ranges of their values and the laws of influence of each factor on them were found. Secondly, the Elman ANN model used for the prediction of bond strength was established, and the parameters of Elman ANN predicting I-shaped SRRC bond strength were studied, and the effects of detailed parameters on the prediction results were revealed. Finally, the bond strength of SRRC was predicted using Elman and BP (back propagation) neural network models, both of which showed good prediction results. This study is a theoretical basis for the design and fine simulation of I-shaped SRRC composite structures.

The current research proposes an innovative finite element model established within the context of higher-order beam theory to examine the bending and buckling behaviors of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) beams resting on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundations. This two-node beam element includes four degrees of freedom per node and achieves inter-element continuity with both C¹ and C⁰ continuities for kinematic variables. The isoparametric coordinate system is implemented to generate the elementary stiffness and geometric matrices as a way to enhance the existing model formulation. The weak variational equilibrium equations are derived from the principle of virtual work. The mechanical properties of FG-CNTRC beams are considered to vary gradually and smoothly over the beam thickness. The current investigation highlights the influence of porosity dispersions through the beam cross-section, which is frequently omitted in previous studies. For this reason, this analysis offers an enhanced comprehension of the mechanical behavior of FG-CNTRC beams under various boundary conditions. Through the comparison of the current results with those published previously, the proposed finite element model demonstrates a high rate of efficiency and accuracy. The estimated results not only refine the precision in the mechanical analysis of FG-CNTRC beams but also offer a comprehensive conceptual model for analyzing the performance of porous composite structures. Moreover, the current results are crucial in various sectors that depend on structural integrity in specific environments.

The in-situ stresses of concrete are an essential index for assessing the safety performance of concrete structures. Conventional methods for pore pressure release often face challenges in selecting drilling ring parameters, uncontrollable stress release, and unstable detection accuracy. In this paper, the parameters affecting the results of the concrete ring hole stress release method are cross-combined, and finite elements are used to simulate the combined parameters and extract the stress release values to establish a training set. The GridSearchCV function is utilized to determine the optimal hyperparameters. The mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R²) are used as evaluation indexes to train the gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) algorithm, and the other three common algorithms are compared. The RMSE of the GBDT algorithm for the test set is 4.499, and the R² of the GBDT algorithm for the test set is 0.962, which is 9.66% higher than the R² of the best-performing comparison algorithm. The model generated by the GBDT algorithm can accurately calculate the concrete in-situ stresses based on the drilling ring parameters and the corresponding stress release values and has a high accuracy and generalization ability.

Geopolymers are part of a class of materials characterized by properties combining polymers, ceramics, and cement. These include exceptionally high thermal and chemical stability, excellent mechanical strength and durability in aggressive environments. This work deals with the synthesis, characterization, and sustainability evaluation of GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers by alkaline activation of a granulated blast furnace slag-metakaolin mixture. In the first step, elemental and oxide analyses by XRF and EDS showed that the main constituents of GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers are silicon, sodium, and aluminium oxides. The structural analyses by XRD and FTIR confirmed that the geopolymerization for GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers did occur, accompanied by the formation of disordered networks from the blends and a modification to the microstructure by the geopolymerization process. Similarly, the microstructural study made by SEM showed that the GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers are constituted by aluminosilicates in the form of dense clusters on which are adsorbed particles of unreacted GBFS in the form of spheroids and white residues of the alkaline activating solution. In addition, the study of the sustainability evaluation of GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers showed that the water absorption of geopolymeric materials is lower than that of OPC cement. As for the elevated temperature resistance, the analyses indicated an excellent elevated temperature resistance of GP_GBFS-MK. In the same way, the study of the resistance to chemical aggressions showed that the GP_GBFS-MK geopolymeric materials are unattackable, contrary to the OPC cement-based materials which are strongly altered.

This study presents an analysis model to estimate the shear strength of a reinforced concrete (RC) member with corroded tensile reinforcements. The thick-walled cylinder theory was modified to fit the dual potential capacity model to reflect interdependent failure mechanisms, including the degradation effect of bonds in corroded tensile reinforcement. In the proposed model, it is considered that the shear failure of corroded RC members with no proper anchorage detail is primarily dominated by the flexural-bond mechanism, where insufficient bond strength is provided owing to corrosion damage. However, when tensile reinforcements are properly anchored in the end regions using end hooks or mechanical devices, it is assumed that the tied-arch action can be developed as a secondary shear transfer mechanism, even under severe corrosion damage. The proposed model was verified by comparison with shear test results of corroded RC members collected from the literature, and it appeared that the proposed model can estimate their shear strengths with a good level of accuracy, regardless of various anchorage details and corrosion rates in tensile reinforcements.