• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2006.05b
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• pp.333-336
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• 2006

In general, polymer materials undergo degradation when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, which can cause dissociation of chemical bonds. FRP composites which are used in strengthening existing structure are usually adhered on the concrete surface, its mechanical properties as well as appearance such as color, surface conditions are affected by sunlight and expecially ultraviolet light. In this study, variations of tensile strength after exposure for certain period of time through accelerated exposure by Xe arc methods specified in KS F 2274 are measured in order to examine strength degradation characteristics of FRP composite. As a result of ultraviolet light test for FRP composite after accelerated exposure for 0, 500, 1000, 1500 hour, discoloration of FRP composite occurs according to the passage of time. But, few strength degradations of FRP composite are observed due to exposure of ultraviolet ray with an small variation of tensile strength.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2006.05b
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• pp.345-348
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• 2006

FRP composites which are used in strengthening existing structure are usually adhered to the concrete surface, their performance are directly affected by environmental condition such as freezing-thawing and moisture. Accordingly, it is required to evaluate bond durability between FRP composite and concrete as well as FRP materials itself. The durability characteristics of FRP composite for freezing-thawing are evaluated in this study with the variables of concrete strength, type of FRP composite, freezing-thawing conditions and freezing-thawing cycle. In addition, material durability of GFRP sheet for high temperature/high humidity condition are examined in this experimental study.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.429-446
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• 2006

Experimental investigation was conducted to evaluate the seismic ductility of earthquake-experienced concrete columns with an aspect ratio of 2.5. Eight circular concrete columns with a diameter of 600 mm were constructed with three test parameters: confinement ratio, lap-splice of longitudinal bars, and retrofitting with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials. The objective of this research is to examine the seismic performance of RC bridge piers subjected to a Quasi static test (QST), which were preliminary tested under a series of artificial earthquake motions referred to as a Pseudo dynamic test (PDT). The seismic enhancement effect of FRP wrap was also investigated on these RC bridge piers. Six specimens were loaded to induce probable damage by four series of artificial earthquakes, which were developed to be compatible with earthquakes in the Korean peninsula by the Korea Highway Corporation (KHC). Directly after the PDT, six earthquake-experienced columns were subjected to inelastic cyclic loading under a constant axial load of $0.1{f_c}^{\prime}A_g$. Two other reference specimens without the PDT were also subjected to similar quasi-static loads. Test results showed that specimens pre-damaged by moderate artificial earthquakes generally demonstrated good residual seismic performance, which was similar to the corresponding reference specimen. Moreover, RC bridge specimens retrofitted with wrapping fiber composites in the potential plastic hinge region exhibited enhanced flexural ductility.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.119-134
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• 2007

External bonding of steel or FRP plates to reinforced concrete (RC) structures has been a popular method for strengthening RC structures; however, unexpected premature failure often occurs due to debonding between the concrete and the epoxy. We proposed a Coulomb criterion with a constant failure surface as the debonding failure criterion for the concrete-epoxy interface. Diagonal shear bonding tests were conducted to determine the debonding properties that were related to the failure criterion, such as the angle of internal friction and the coefficient of cohesion. In addition, an interface element that utilized the Coulomb criterion was implemented in a nonlinear finite element analysis program to simulate debonding failure behavior. Experimental studies and numerical analysies on RC beams strengthened by an externally bonded steel or FRP plate were used to determine the range of the coefficient of cohesion. The results that were presented prove that premature failure loads of strengthened RC beams can be predicted with using the bonding properties and the finite element program with including the proposed Coulomb criterion.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.727-747
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• 2008

In the framework of the SPEAR (Seismic PErformance Assessment and Rehabilitation) research Project, an under-designed three storey RC frame structure, designed to sustain only gravity loads, was subjected, in three different configurations 'as-built', Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) retrofitted and rehabilitated by reinforced concrete (RC) jacketing, to a series of bi-directional pseudodynamic (PsD) tests under different values of peak ground acceleration (PGA) (from a minimum of 0.20g to a maximum of 0.30g). The seismic deficiencies exhibited by the 'as-built' structure after the test at PGA level of 0.20g were confirmed by a post - test assessment of the structural seismic capacity performed by a nonlinear static pushover analysis implemented on the structure lumped plasticity model. To improve the seismic performance of the 'as-built' structure', two rehabilitation interventions by using either FRP laminates or RC jacketing were designed. Assumptions for the analytical modeling, design criteria and calculation procedures along with local and global intervention measures and their installation details are herein presented and discussed. Nonlinear static pushover analyses for the assessment of the theoretical seismic capacity of the structure in each retrofitted configuration were performed and compared with the experimental outcomes.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.105-121
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• 2013

This paper investigates the parameters that control the design of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) reinforced concrete flexural members proportioned following the ACI 440.1R-06. It investigates the critical parameters that control the flexural design, such as the deflection limits, crack limits, flexural capacity, concrete compressive strength, beam span and cross section, and bar diameter, at various Mean-Ambient Temperatures (MAT). The results of this research suggest that the deflection and cracking requirements are the two most controlling limits for FRP reinforced concrete flexural members.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.135-143
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• 2017

To upgrade shear performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, and particularly of the segments under negative moment within continuous T-section beams, a series of original schemes has been proposed using carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) U-shaped strips for shear-strengthening. The current work focuses on one of them, in which CFRP U-strips are wound around steel bars against the top of the flange of a T-beam and then spliced on its bottom face in addition to being bonded onto its sides. The test results showed that the proposed scheme successfully provided reliable anchorage for U-strips and prevented premature onset of shear failure due to FRP debonding. The governing shear mode of failure changed from peeling of CFRP to its fracture or crushing of concrete. The strengthened specimens displayed an average increase of about 60% in shear capacity over the unstrengthened control one. The specimen with a relatively high ratio and uniform distribution of CFRP reinforcement had a maximum increase of nearly 75% in strength as well as significantly improved ductility. The formulas by various codes or guidelines exhibited different accuracy in estimating FRP contribution to shear resistance of the segments that are subjected to negative moment and strengthened with well-anchored FRP U-strips within continuous T-beams. Further investigation is necessary to find a suitable approach to predicting load-carrying capacity of continuous beams shear strengthened in this way.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.165-180
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• 2015

In this paper lead zirconate titanate transducers (PZT) are employed for damage detection of four reinforced concrete (RC) column specimens retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) jackets. A major disadvantage of FRP jacketing in RC members is the inability to inspect visually if the concrete substrate is damaged and in such case to estimate the extent of damage. The parameter measured during uniaxial compression tests at random times for known strain values is the real part of the complex number of the Electromechanical Admittance (Conductance) of the sensors, obtained by a PXI platform. The transducers are placed in specific positions along the height of the columns for detecting the damage in different positions and carrying out conclusions for the variation of the Conductance in relation to the position the failure occurred. The quantification of the damage at the concrete substrate is achieved with the use of the root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD) index, which is evaluated for the corresponding strain values. The experimental results provide evidence that PZT transducers are sensitive to damage detection from an early stage of the experiment and that the use of PZT sensors for monitoring and detecting the damage of FRP-retrofitted reinforced concrete members, by using the Electromechanical Admittance (EMA) approach, can be a highly promising method.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 2022

A wide range of experimental bases and improved performance with different forms of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) have attracted researchers to produce eco-friendly and sustainable structures. The reinforced concrete (RC) beam's shear capacity has remained a complex phenomenon because of various parameters affecting. Design recommendations for the shear capacity of RC elements having FRP reinforcement need a more experimental database to improve design recommendations because almost all the recommendations replace different parameters with FRP's. Steel and FRP are fundamentally different materials. One is ductile and isotropic, whereas the other is brittle and orthotropic. This paper presents experimental results of the investigation on the beams with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcement as longitudinal bars and stirrups. Total twelve beams with GFRP reinforcement were prepared and tested. The cross-section of the beams was rectangular of size 230 × 300 mm, and the total length was 2000 mm with a span of 1800 mm. The beams are designed for simply-supported conditions with the two-point load as per specified load positions for different beams. Flexural reinforcement provided is for the balanced conditions as the beams were supposed to test for shear. Two main variables, such as shear span and spacing of stirrups, were incorporated. The beams were designed as per American Concrete Institute (ACI) ACI 440.1R-15. Relation of VExp./VPred. is derived with axial stiffness, span to depth ratio, and stirrups spacing, from which it is observed that current design provisions provide overestimation, particularly at lower stirrups spacing.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.683-692
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• 2011

In piloti-type low-rise RC residential buildings, severe damages have been usually concentrated at piloti stories under the earthquake. In this study, a piloti story was retrofitted by installation of buckling-restrained braces (BRB's) to increase strength and stiffness of piloti story and by application of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheet on columns to avoid the brittle shear and axial failure of columns. To verify this retrofit performance, reversed cyclic lateral load tests were performed on 1:5 scale bare and retrofitted frames. The test results showed that yield strength (43.2 kN) appeared to be significantly larger than design value (30 kN) due to the increase of strength in the compression side, but the stiffness value (11.6 kN/mm) turned out to be approximately one-half of the design value (24.2 kN/mm). The reasons for this difference in stiffness were due to slippage at joint between the frame and the BRB's, displacement and rotation at footing. The energy absorption capacity of the retrofitted frame was 7.5 times larger than that of the bare frame. The change of the number of load cells under the footing from 2 to 1 reduced lateral stiffness from 11.6 kN/mm to 6 kN/mm, which was only three times larger than that of the bare frame (2.1 kN/mm).