• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.515-531
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• 2020

Due to the construction difficulties of steel reinforced concrete (SRC), a new composite structure of steel and steel fiber reinforced concrete (SSFRC) is proposed for solving construction problems of SRC. This paper aims to investigate the bond properties and composition of interfacial bond stress between steel and steel fiber reinforced concrete. Considering the design parameters of section type, steel fiber ratio, interface embedded length and concrete cover thickness, a total of 36 specimens were fabricated. The bond properties of specimens were studied, and three different methods of calculating interfacial bond stress were analyzed. The results show: relative slip first occurs at the free end; Bearing capacity of specimens increases with the increase of interface embedded length. While the larger interface embedded length is, the smaller the average bond strength is. The average bond strength increases with the increase of concrete cover thickness and steel fiber ratio. And calculation method 3 proposed in this paper can not only reasonably explain the hardening stage after the loading end curve yielding, but also can be applied to steel reinforced high-strength concrete (SRHC) and steel reinforced recycled coarse aggregate concrete (SRRAC).

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2021

This study aimed to develop a method for the determination of the damaged story in reinforced concrete (RC) structure with ambient vibrations, based on modified jerk energy methodology. The damage was taken as a localized reduction in the stiffness of the structural member. For loading, random white noise excitation was used, and dynamic responses from the finite element model (FEM) of 4 story RC shear frame were extracted at nodal points. The data thus obtained from the structure was used in the damage detection and localization algorithm. In the structure, two damage configurations have been introduced. In the first configuration, damage to the structure was artificially caused by a local reduction in the modulus of elasticity. In the second configuration, the damage was caused, using the Elcentro1940 and Kashmir2005 earthquakes in real-time history. The damage was successfully detected if the frequency drop was greater than 5% and the mode shape correlation remained less than 0.8. The results of the damage were also compared to the performance criteria developed in the Seismostruct software. It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm has effectively detected the existence of the damage and can locate the damaged story for multiple damage scenarios in the RC structure.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.533-546
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• 2020

The prediction of spall response of reinforced concrete members like columns and slabs have been attempted by earlier researchers with analytical solutions, as well as with empirical models developed from data generated from physical or numerical experiments, with different degrees of success. In this article, compared to the empirical models, more versatile and accurate models are developed based on model-free approach of artificial neural network (ANN). Synthetic data extracted from the results of numerical experiments from literature have been utilized for the purpose of training and testing of the ANN models. For two concrete members, namely, slabs and columns, different sets of ANN models were developed, each of which proved to have definite advantages over the corresponding empirical model reported in literature. In case of slabs, for all three categories of spall, the ANN model results were superior to the empirical models as evaluated by the various performance metrics, such as correlation, root mean square error, mean absolute error, maximum overestimation and maximum underestimation. The ANN models for each category of column spall could handle three variables together: namely, depth, spacing of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement, as contrasted to the empirical models that handled one variable at a time, and at the same time yielded comparable performance. The application of the ANN models for spall prediction of concrete slabs and columns developed in this study has been discussed along with their limitations.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.587-593
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• 2020

In this study, bond behavior of ordinary concrete and rebars with different diameters and development length was investigated by using Hinged Beam Test (HBT) and Eccentric Pull-Out Test (EPT) comparatively. For this purpose, three different rebar size and development length depending on rebar diameter were chosen as variables. Three specimens were produced for each series of specimens and totally 54 specimens were tested. At the end of the tests it was observed that obtained results for both tests were quite similar. On the other hand, increased bar size, especially for the specimen with 14 mm bar size and 14 development length (lb), caused shear failure of test specimens. This situation infers that when bigger bar size and lb are used in such test, dimensions of test specimens should be chosen bigger and stirrups should be used for producing of test specimens to obtain more adequate result by preventing shear failure. Also, a nonlinear regression analysis was employed between HBT and EPT results. There was a high correlation between the EPT values, lb, rebar diameters and estimated theoretical HBT. In addition, at the end of the study an equation was suggested to estimate bond strength for HBT by using EPT results.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

This work presents a safety assessment of an underground tunnel subjected to a ballistic missile attack employing the numerical approach. For the impact simulation, a box shaped reinforced concrete (RC) structure with a cross section dimension of 8.0×10.0 m under a soil layer that was attacked by a SCUD missile was modeled using finite element (FE) software LS-DYNA. SCUD missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by Soviet Union during the Cold War, which is adopted for a short-range ballistic missile. The developed FE simulation for the penetration depth of the missile impacting into the soil structure was verified from the well-known formula of the penetration prediction. The soil-structure interaction, the soil type, and the impact missile velocity effects on the penetration depth of the missile into the different soil types were investigated. The safety assessment of the underground tunnel was performed with regard to the different depths of the underground tunnel. For each missile velocity and soil type, a specific depth called the unsafe depth was obtained from the analysis results. The structure beneath the soil beyond this depth remains safe. The unsafe depth was found to be increased with the increasing missile velocity.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.447-455
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• 2021

Research on damage detection methods in structures began a few decades ago with the introduction of methods based on structural vibration frequencies, which, of course, continues to this day. The value of important structures, on the one hand, and the countless maintenance costs on the other hand, have led researchers to always try to identify more accurate methods to diagnose damage to structures in the early stages. Among these, one of the most important and widely used methods in damage detection is the use of time-frequency representations. By using time-frequency representations, it is possible to process signals simultaneously in the time and frequency domains. In this research, the Short-Time Fourier transform, a known time-frequency function, has been used to process signals and identify the system. Besides, a new damage index has been introduced to identify damages in concrete piers of bridges. The proposed method has relatively simple calculations. To evaluate the method, the finite element model of an existing concrete bridge was created using as-built details. Based on the results, the method identifies the damages with high accuracy.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.131-141
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• 2021

This paper aims at investigating the capability of different FRP/concrete interface models to predict the effect of carbon nanotubes on the flexural behavior of RC beams strengthened with CFRP. Three different interfacial bond models are proposed to simulate the adhesion between CFRP composites and concrete, namely: full bond, nonlinear spring element, and cohesive zone model. 3D Nonlinear finite element model is developed then validated using experimental work conducted by the authors in a previous investigation. Cohesive zone model (CZM) has the best agreement with the experimental results in terms of load-deflection response. CZM is the only bond model that accurately predicted the cracks patterns and failure mode of the strengthened RC beams. The FE model is then expanded to predict the effect of bond strength on the flexural capacity of RC beams strengthened with externally bonded CNTs modified CFRP composites using CZM bond model. The results reveal that the flexural capacity of the strengthened beams increases with increasing the bond strength value. However, only 23% and 22% of the CFRP stress and strain capacity; in the case of full bond; can be utilized before failure.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.185-197
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• 2021

Throughout the previous years, many efforts focused on incorporating non-biodegradable wastes as a partial replacement and sustainable alternative for natural aggregates in cement-based materials. Currently, rubberized concrete is considered one of the most important green concrete materials produced by replacing natural aggregates with rubber particles from old tires in a concrete mixture. The main benefits of this material, in addition to its importance in sustainability and waste management, comes from the ability of rubber to considerably damp vibrations, which, when used in reinforced concrete structures, can significantly enhance its energy dissipation and vibration behavior. Nowadays, the literature has many experimental findings that provide an interesting view of rubberized concrete's dynamic behavior. On the other hand, it still lacks research that collects, interprets, and numerically investigates these findings to provide some correlations and construct reliable prediction models for rubberized concrete's dynamic properties. Therefore, this study is intended to propose prediction approaches for the dynamic properties of rubberized concrete. As a part of the study, multiple linear regression and artificial neural networks will be used to create prediction models for dynamic modulus of elasticity, damping ratio, and natural frequency.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.85-97
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• 2021

In this study, the effect of steel fiber utilization, boundary conditions, different beam cross-section, and length parameter are investigated on the free vibration behavior of fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete beam on elastic foundation. In the analysis of the beam model recommended by Euler-Bernoulli, a method utilizing Stokes transformations and Fourier Sine series were used. For this purpose, in addition to the control beam containing no fiber, three SCC beam elements were prepared by utilization of steel fiber as 0.6% by volume. The time-dependent fresh properties and some mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete mixtures were investigated. In the modelled beam, four different beam specimens produced with 0.6% by volume of steel fiber reinforced and pure (containing no fiber) SCC were analyzed depending on different boundary conditions, different beam cross-sections, and lengths. For this aim, the effect of elasticity of the foundation, cross-sectional dimensions, beam length, boundary conditions, and steel fiber on natural frequency and frequency parameters were investigated. As a result, it was observed that there is a noticeable effect of fiber reinforcement on the dynamic behavior of the modelled beam.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.225-239
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• 2021

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) has extensive use in strengthening reinforced concrete structures due to its high strength and elastic modulus, low weight, fast and easy application, and excellent durability performance. Many studies have been carried out to determine the performance of the CFRP confined concrete cylinder. Although studies about the prediction of confined compressive strength using ANN are in the literature, the insufficiency of the studies to predict the strain of confined concrete cylinder using ANN, which is the most appropriate analysis method for nonlinear and complex problems, draws attention. Therefore, to predict both strengths and also strain values, two different ANNs were created using an extensive experimental database. The strength and strain networks were evaluated with the statistical parameters of correlation coefficients (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE). The estimated values were found to be close to the experimental results. Mathematical equations to predict the strength and strain values were derived using networks prepared for convenience in engineering applications. The sensitivity analysis of mathematical models was performed by considering the inputs with the highest importance factors. Considering the limit values obtained from the sensitivity analysis of the parameters, the performances of the proposed models were evaluated by using the test data determined from the experimental database. Model performances were evaluated comparatively with other analytical models most commonly used in the literature, and it was found that the closest results to experimental data were obtained from the proposed strength and strain models.