• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.28 no.6A
• /
• pp.861-872
• /
• 2008

Concrete-filled glass fiber reinforced polymer tubes are often used for marine structures with the benefit of good durability and high resistance against corrosion under severe chemical environment. Current research presents results of a comprehensive experimental investigation on the behavior of axially loaded circular concrete-filled glass fiber reinforced polymer tubes. This paper is intended to examine several aspects related to the usage of glass fiber fabrics and filament wound layers used for outer shell of piles subjected to axial compression. The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of filament winding angle of glass fiber layers (2) to evaluate the effect of number of GFRP layers on the ultimate load and ductility of confined concrete (3) to evaluate the effect of loading condition of specimens on the effectiveness of confinement and failure characteristics as well, and (4) to propose a analytical model which describes the stress-strain behavior of the confined concrete. Three different types of glass fiber layers were chosen; fabric layer, ${\pm}45^{\circ}$ filament winding layer, and ${\pm}85^{\circ}$ filament winding layer. They were put together or used independently in the fabrication of tubes. Specimens that have various L:D ratios and different diameters have also been tested. Totally 27 GFRP tube specimens to investigate the tension capacity, and 66 concrete-filled GFRP tube specimens for compression test were prepared and tested. The behavior of the specimens in the axial and transverse directions, failure types were investigated. Analytical model and parameters were suggested to describe the stress-strain behavior of concrete under confinement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.163-177
• /
• 2023

Complex and intricate preparation techniques, the imperative for utmost precision and sensitivity in instrumentation, premature sample failure, and fragile specimens collectively contribute to the arduous task of measuring the fracture toughness of concrete in the laboratory. The objective of this research is to introduce and refine an equation based on the gene expression programming (GEP) method to calculate the fracture toughness of reinforced concrete, thereby minimizing the need for costly and time-consuming laboratory experiments. To accomplish this, various types of reinforced concrete, each incorporating distinct ratios of fibers and additives, were subjected to diverse loading angles relative to the initial crack (α) in order to ascertain the effective fracture toughness (Keff) of 660 samples utilizing the central straight notched Brazilian disc (CSNBD) test. Within the datasets, six pivotal input factors influencing the Keff of concrete, namely sample type (ST), diameter (D), thickness (t), length (L), force (F), and α, were taken into account. The ST and α parameters represent crucial inputs in the model presented in this study, marking the first instance that their influence has been examined via the CSNBD test. Of the 660 datasets, 460 were utilized for training purposes, while 100 each were allotted for testing and validation of the model. The GEP model was fine-tuned based on the training datasets, and its efficacy was evaluated using the separate test and validation datasets. In subsequent stages, the GEP model was optimized, yielding the most robust models. Ultimately, an equation was derived by averaging the most exemplary models, providing a means to predict the Keff parameter. This averaged equation exhibited exceptional proficiency in predicting the Keff of concrete. The significance of this work lies in the possibility of obtaining the Keff parameter without investing copious amounts of time and resources into the CSNBD test, simply by inputting the relevant parameters into the equation derived for diverse samples of reinforced concrete subject to varied loading angles.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.53-73
• /
• 2023

Man-made structure materials like concrete usually contain inclusions. These inclusions affect the mechanical properties of concrete. In this investigation, the influence of inclusion length and inclination angle on three-dimensional failure mechanism of concrete under uniaxial compression were performed using experimental test and numerical simulation. Approach of acoustic emission were jointly used to analyze the damage and fracture process. Besides, by combining the stress-strain behavior, quantitative determination of the thresholds of crack stress were done. concrete specimens with dimensions of 120 mm × 150 mm × 100 mm were provided. One and two holes filled by gypsum are incorporated in concrete samples. To build the inclusion, firstly cylinder steel tube was pre-inserting into the concrete and removing them after the initial hardening of the specimen. Secondly, the gypsum was poured into the holes. Tensile strengths of concrete and gypsum were 2.45 MPa and 1.5 MPa, respectively. The angle bertween inclusions and axial loadind ary from 0 to 90 with increases of 30. The length of inclusion vary from 25 mm to 100 mm with increases of 25 mm. Diameter of the hole was 20 mm. Entirely 20 various models were examined under uniaxial test. Simultaneous with experimental tests, numerical simulation (Particle flow code in two dimension) were carried out on the numerical models containing the inclusions. The numerical model were calibrated firstly by experimental outputs and then failure behavior of models containing inclusions have been investigated. The angle bertween inclusions and axial loadind vary from 0 to 90 with increases of 15. The length of inclusion vary from 25 mm to 100 mm with increases of 25 mm. Entirely 32 various models were examined under uniaxial test. Loading rate was 0.05 mm/sec. The results indicated that when inclusion has occupied 100% of sample thickness, two tensile cracks originated from boundaries of sample and spread parallel to the loading direction until being integrated together. When inclusion has occupied 75% of sample thickness, four tensile cracks originated from boundaries of sample and spread parallel to the loading direction until being integrated together. When inclusions have occupied 50% and 25% of sample thickness, four tensile cracks originated from boundaries of sample and spread parallel to the loading direction until being integrated together. Also the inclusion was failed by one tensile crack. The compressive strength of samples decease with the decreases of the inclusions length, and inclusion angle had some effects on that. Failure of concrete is mostly due to the tensile crack. The behavior of crack, was affected by the inclusion length and inclusion number.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.30 no.1A
• /
• pp.53-59
• /
• 2010

Recently, NDTs (Non-Destructive Techniques) using infrared camera are widely studied for detection of damage and void in RC (reinforced concrete) structures and they are also considered as an effective techniques for maintenance of infrastructures. The temperature on concrete surface depends on material and thermal properties such as specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusion coefficient. Different porosity on cement mortar due to different mixture proportions can show different heat behavior in cooling stage. The porosity can affect physical and durability properties like strength and chloride diffusion coefficient as well. In this paper, active thermography which uses flash for heat induction is utilized and thermal characteristics on surface are evaluated. Samples of cement mortar with W/C (water to cement ratio) of 0.55 and 0.65 are prepared and physical properties like porosity, compressive strength, and chloride diffusion coefficient are evaluated. Then infrared thermography technique is carried out in a constant room condition (temperature $20{\sim}22^{\circ}C$ and relative humidity 55-60%). The mortar samples with higher porosity shows higher residual temperature at the cooling stage and also shows reduced critical time which shows constant temperature due to back wall effect. Furthermore, simple equation for critical time of back wall effect is suggested with porosity and experimental constants. These characteristics indicate the applicability of infrared thermography as an NDT for quality assessment of cement based composite like concrete. Physical properties and thermal behavior in cement mortar with different porosity are analyzed in discussed in this paper.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.81-89
• /
• 2023

A simplified calculation method of natural vibration characteristics of high-speed railway multi-span bridge-longitudinal ballastless track system is proposed. The rail, track slab, base slab, main beam, bearing, pier, cap and pile foundation are taken into account, and the multi-span longitudinal ballastless track-beam-bearing-pier-cap-pile foundation integrated model (MBTIM) is established. The energy equation of each component of the MBTIM based on Timoshenko beam theory is constructed. Using the improved Fourier series, and the Rayleigh-Ritz method and Hamilton principle are combined to obtain the extremum of the total energy function. The simplified calculation formula of the natural vibration frequency of the MBTIM under the influence of vertical and longitudinal vibration is derived and verified by numerical methods. The influence law of the natural vibration frequency of the MBTIM is analyzed considering and not considering the participation of each component of the MBTIM, the damage of the track interlayer component and the stiffness change of each layer component. The results show that the error between the calculation results of the formula and the numerical method in this paper is less than 3%, which verifies the correctness of the method in this paper. The high-order frequency of the MBTIM is significantly affected considering the track, bridge pier, pile soil and pile cap, while considering the influence of pile cap on the low-order and high-order frequency of the MBTIM is large. The influence of component damage such as void beneath slab, mortar debonding and fastener failure on each order frequency of the MBTIM is basically the same, and the influence of component damage less than 10m on the first fourteen order frequency of the MBTIM is small. The bending stiffness of track slab and rail has no obvious influence on the natural frequency of the MBTIM, and the bending stiffness of main beam has influence on the natural frequency of the MBTIM. The bending stiffness of pier and base slab only has obvious influence on the high-order frequency of the MBTIM. The natural vibration characteristics of the MBTIM play an important guiding role in the safety analysis of high-speed train running, the damage detection of track-bridge structure and the seismic design of railway bridge.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.43-57
• /
• 2023

The impacts of waste tire rubber (WTR) on the bending conduct of reinforced concrete beams (RCBs) are investigated in visualization of experimental tests and 3D finite element model (FEM) using both ANSYS and SAP2000. Several WTR rates are used in total 4 various full scale RCBs to observe the impact of WTR rate on the rupture and bending conduct of RCBs. For this purpose, the volumetric ratios (Vf) of WTR were chosen to change to 0%, 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% in the whole concrete. In relation to experimental test consequences, bending and rupture behaviors of the RCBs are observed. The best performance among the beams was observed in the beams with 2.5% WTR. Furthermore, as stated by test consequences, it is noticed that while WTR rate in the RCBs is improved, max. bending in the RCBs rises. For test consequences, it is clearly recognized as WTR rate in the RCB mixture is improved from 0% to 2.5%, deformation value in the RCB remarkably rises from 3.89 cm to 7.69 cm. This consequence is markedly recognized that WTR rates have a favorable result on deformation values in the RCBs. Furthermore, experimental tests are compared to 3D FEM consequences via using ANSYS software. In the ANSYS, special element types are formed and nonlinear multilinear misses plasticity material model and bilinear misses plasticity material model are chosen for concrete and compression and tension elements. As a consequence, it is noticed that each WTR rates in the RCBs mixture have dissimilar bending and rupture impacts on the RCBs. Then, to observe the impacts of WTR rate on the constructions under near-fault ground motions, a reinforced-concrete building was modelled via using SAP2000 software using 3-D model of the construction to complete nonlinear static analysis. Beam, column, steel haunch elements are modeled as nonlinear frame elements. Consequently, the seismic impacts of WTR rate on the lateral motions of each floor are obviously investigated particularly. Considering reduction in weight of structure and capacity of the members with using waste tire rubber, 2.5% of WTR resulted in the best performance while the construction is subjected to near fault earthquakes. Moreover, it is noticeably recognized that WTR rate has opposing influences on the seismic displacement behavior of the RC constructions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.245-255
• /
• 2023

The present paper summarizes the results of an experimental program on the influence of using waste lathe scraps in the concrete mixture on the shear behavior of RC beams with different amounts of shear reinforcement. Three different volumetric ratios (1, 2 and %3) for the scraps and three different stirrup spacings (160, 200 and 270 mm) were adopted in the tests. The shear span-to-depth ratios of the beams were 2.67 and the stirrup spacing exceeded the maximum spacing limit in the building codes to unfold the contribution of lathe scraps to the shear resistances of shear-deficient beams, subject to shear-dominated failure (shear-tension). The experiments depicted that the lathe scraps have a pronounced contribution to the shear strength and load-deflection behavior of RC beams with widely-spaced stirrups. Namely, with the addition of 1%, 2% and 3% waste lathe scraps, the load-bearing capacity escalated by 9.1%, 21.8% and 32.8%, respectively, compared to the reference beam. On the other hand, the contribution of the lathe scraps to the load capacity decreases with decreasing stirrup spacing, since the closely-spaced stirrups bear the shear stresses and render the contribution of the scraps to shear resistance insignificant. The load capacity, deformation ductility index (DDI) and modulus of toughness (MOT) values of the beams were shown to increase with the volumetric fraction of scraps if the stirrups are spaced at about two times the beam depth. For the specimens with a stirrup spacing of about the beam depth, the scraps were found to have no considerable contribution to the load capacity and the deformation capacity beyond the ultimate load. In other words, for lathe scrap contents of 1-3%, the DDI values increased by 5-23% and the MOT values by 63.5-165% with respect to the reference beam with a stirrup spacing of 270 mm. The influence of the lathe scraps to the DDI and MOT values were rather limited and even sometimes negative for the stirrup spacing values of 160 and 200 mm.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.369-378
• /
• 2024

Purpose: This study aims to verify structural stability by manufacturing a 40m full-scale specimen composed of a segmental U-shaped PSC girder with integrated tensioning systems and a concrete slab, proceeding dynamic behavior tests, and compare the results of the tests with the results of numerical analysis. Method: Dynamic behavior tests were conducted on a full-scale, undamaged specimen using an impact hammer, and the natural frequency and damping ratio were measured and compared with numerical analysis techniques and the general damping ratio of the facilities. Result: The natural frequency of the numerical analysis model consisting of a girder and slab composite section was calculated to be 2.561Hz, the natural frequency of the full-scale specimen was measured to be 2.670Hz, and the damping ratio was calculated to be 0.42~0.68%. Conclusion: The natural frequency of the full-scale specimen was found to be 4.3% larger than that of the numerical analysis model. Since the masses of the full-scale specimen and the numerical analysis model are the same as 99.97%, it can be derived that the stiffness of the full-scale specimen has secured structural safety and stability. As a result, the dynamic behavior stability of the specimen was verified. The measured damping ratio of 0.42~0.68% was found to be a stable dynamic behavior compared to the PSC structures damping ratio of 0.5~1.0% in the elastic region.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.281-298
• /
• 2024

Stainless steel bolts (SSB) are increasingly utilized in bolted steel connections due to their good mechanical performance and excellent corrosion resistance. Fire accidents, which commonly occur in engineering scenarios, pose a significant threat to the safety of steel frames. The post-fire behavior of SSB has a significant influence on the structural integrity of steel frames, and neglecting the effect of temperature can lead to serious accidents in engineering. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the performance of SSB at elevated temperatures and their residual strength after a fire incident. To investigate the mechanical behavior of SSB after fire, 114 bolts with grades A4-70 and A4-80, manufactured from 316L austenitic stainless steel, were subjected to elevated temperatures ranging from 20℃ to 1200℃. Two different cooling methods commonly employed in engineering, namely cooling at ambient temperatures (air cooling) and cooling in water (water cooling), were used to cool the bolts. Tensile tests were performed to examine the influence of elevated temperatures and cooling methods on the mechanical behavior of SSB. The results indicate that the temperature does not significantly affect the Young's modulus and the ultimate strength of SSB. Up to 500℃, the yield strength increases with temperature, but this trend reverses when the temperature exceeds 500℃. In contrast, the ultimate strain shows the opposite trend. The strain hardening exponent is not significantly influenced by the temperature until it reaches 500℃. The cooling methods employed have an insignificant impact on the performance of SSB. When compared to high-strength bolts, 316L austenitic SSB demonstrate superior fire resistance. Design models for the post-fire mechanical behavior of 316L austenitic SSB, encompassing parameters such as the elasticity modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength, ultimate strain, and strain hardening exponent, are proposed, and a more precise stress-strain model is recommended to predict the mechanical behavior of 316L austenitic SSB after a fire incident.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.162-169
• /
• 2024

In this study, PAN(polyacrylonitrile)-based precursor fibers were produced through a wet-spinning process, and their morphologies and graphitization behavior were investigated in the presence of two graphitization catalysts (Ca, Ni). The graphitization catalysts were introduced into the formed pores during hot-water stretching of wet-spun PAN-based precursor fibers. The catalytic effects of graphitization catalysts were examined through crystal structure and Raman analysis. At a relatively low temperature of 1500℃, the graphitization was not significantly affected, whereas at a high temperature of 2400℃, the obtained I_D/I_G value of graphite fiber (GF-Ni100) was decreased by about twice (~0.28) compared to the untreated fibers (GF-AS~0.54). By comparing the I_D/I_G values (GF-Ca100~0.42: GF-Ni100~0.28) of Ca and Ni graphitization catalyst, it was found that the degree of graphitization of Ni graphitization catalyst showed higher influence than that of Ca graphitization catalyst. Moreover, 2D band was also observed, indicating that the graphite plane structures composed of multiple layers were developed. XRD results confirmed that the crystal inter-planar distance (d₀₀₂) of the graphite crystal was slightly decreased after the treatment with the graphitization catalyst, But, the crystal size of Ca-treated graphite fiber (GF-Ca100) was increased by up to ~5 nm.